Key West residents voted to ban large cruise ships from docking

• On polling day, Key West passed three referendums that bar the largest cruise ships from docking on the island.
• Smaller, more upscale boats can still dock in Key West.
• Cruises have been heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and the first test cruise to set sail is already reporting positive cases.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

When travel and cruises resume, Key West residents want a smaller slice.

The Points Guy reported that on election day, residents voted three referendums that will drastically restrict the types of cruises that can dock on the island.

According to the Monroe County Board of Elections.

“The people of Key West are thrilled to have finally put in place common sense restrictions after 30 years of unregulated cruises that have damaged our environment, hampered economic growth and threatened public health,” Arlo Haskell, Treasurer of The Key West Committee for Safer Ships, told USA Today.

Referendums are effective immediately, USA Today reported, after speaking with Key West Clerk Cheri Smith.

The committee was formed to encourage residents to learn more about the cruise industry and its effects on life on the island. In “The Impacts of the Cruise Ship Industry on Quality of Life in Key West” or the Murray Report, while cruise ship passengers make up 50% of the total number of visitors to the island, they don’t spend average only $ 32, while other tourists spend nearly $ 550 on your visit, according to Lonely Planet.

The loss of Key West ports could mean an even more difficult recovery for the cruise industry, which did not receive stimulus funds at the start of the pandemic as most cruise lines are incorporated outside the states -United.

These measures will prevent even the smallest ships of major cruise lines – such as Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line – from docking on the island, as The Points Guy reports.

As of yet, it is still unclear when the cruises will resume. While the CDC lifted its order without a sail, the first test cruise has already reported positive cases.