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I took these photos from the balcony of a Harbour Place Condominiums in February 2016 when I blogged about one of the waterfront condominiums that was then for sale.
In a few weeks Key West voters will vote on a referendum to limit the size of cruise ships that dock in Key West. There a yard signs up all over town recommending passage of the referendum to limit size and call for smaller, cleaner, safer ships. I have never taken a cruise ship nor wanted to. I don't like interacting with strangers - especially cheap Americans. But I am a snob. I am not, however, advocating passage of the referendum. I think passage would depress the Key West economy more than it is already depressed.
I lived in Denver all of my life until December 1993 when I moved to Key West. I flew somewhere almost every week between 1990 and 1993 using United and Continental which both normally packed no matter where I flew.
The City of Denver increased gate fees to Airlines in 1994. Both United Airlines and Continental Airlines had HUBS at Stapleton International Airport, the predecessor to current Denver International Airport. Continental Airlines balked at the increased gate fees abandoned Denver as a HUB. It still flew into and out of Denver, but it reduced the number of flights which dramatically lessened the total revenue to the City of Denver. This was not the result Denver officials had intended.
Southwest Airlines initiated flights to Key West in 2012 giving locals more affordable flights out of Key West to Southwest destination cities. Then the City of Key West increased gate fees to Southwest making Southwest's venture in Key West less profitable. Southwest abandoned Key West in 2014. This probably was not what the City of Key West had intended.
Key West has boarded up businesses all over town - not just restaurants and bars, but dry cleaning stores, tourist related shops, SEARS, PIER ONE, and more on the way. Voters should really consider what they hope to achieve by limiting the ability of the cruise industry to make a buck in Key West. There are many ports out there. I think passage of the referendum could prove very damaging to our economy. Life is full of unintended consequences.
12 comments:
I have greatly reduced my trips to areas where I have to add a parking fees of $ 4/hr. to my meal tab, I rather give it as a tip for good service rather than a parking ticket. I limit my parking to shops which provide free parking. Join me.
If only the idiot locals could read this. They have no idea what is unfolding right before their own dumb eyes.
If the referendum passes, it will remove about $90 - $100 million dollars annually out of the pockets of Key West small business, many lost jobs, population reduction and massive tax revenue losses. Many of the businesses in/around Duval are currently paying reduced (40% - 60%) rates of their long term monthly leases until January 1, 2021 because of when US1 shutdown, no cruise ships and/or pandemic. If this referendum passes, expected massive business closures (domino effect) starting Jan. 2021.
If the referendum passes, it will remove about $90 - $100 million dollars out of the pockets of Key West businesses, many lost jobs, population reduction and massive tax revenue losses. Many of the small business in/around Duval are paying a reduction (40% - 60%) of their long term monthly leases because of pandemic, no cruises ships, tourist limits and when US1 was closed until years end. If the referendum passes, there will be massive business closures starting Jan. 2021 when their lease go back to normal long term rates. I can't remotely understand the insanity of wanting to commit this financial suicide and feel sorry for the small businesses!
Whether or not these referendum questions pass will have absolutely no impact on the Key West economy this winter because it is very doubtful that the cruise ships will be back because of Covid. The ships are breeding grounds for the virus. The best thing Key West businesses can do to help their bottom line is to create safe spaces in order to entice locals and visitors to come out of hiding and spend money. Based on some of the latest announcements from bars and restaurants in Key West about relaxing their standards, in response to the idiot move by our governor, we have decided to stay home again except for curb side pick up.
Just watch. This will pass. All the idiot locals will vote for it. Then they'll bitch when they go out on the town and find that their "locals discount" isn't offered anymore because everyone is hanging on by a thread. The locals always bitched about tourists. Well now watch...just sit back and watch. Then listen...sit back and listen to all the crying and bitching as the local economy goes quickly down the toilet. This will be entertaining.
Gary, it takes courage to post this in today's climate. I agree with you. There are a lot of people in Key West today who want to change our town to something more "upscale" with fancier stores and fancier people. This won't work out well for most of us.
I've been following this issue every day for months in The Key West Citizen. I agree that the referendum will likely pass with overwhelming support. And the results will be an absolute disaster for Key West businesses, workers, and landlords. This idea of attracting "smaller, cleaner ships" is just a pipe dream by those wearing the absolute rosiest of rose-colored glasses. The big ships will find other ports very happy to take their business. Duval Street businesses will lose money and eventually close because of fewer customers. That means fewer jobs for the workforce that doesn't have enough available work as it is. There will be downward pressure on commercial rents and sales. And when the idiots, er, I mean city leaders realize their error and try to get the big ships back, it'll be too late. It's not too often that you see a train wreck coming in slow motion. THis is one of those times.
Gary: I can see and feel for both sides of the issue. Yes, loss of tourist/cruise ship dollars. But, smaller/cleaner, perhaps making them dump their sewage 50 miles off shore instead of current 3 miles, or making them use a pump out service and keep what’s left of our reefs for future generations to enjoy. I’m one of those “idiots” that want cleaner water, reefs. I was also hospitalized 30 years ago with an intestinal infection from scuba diving after continuous days of rain (storm drains, sanitary drains overflow directly into our waters) as well as cruise ships dumping untreated waste. We cannot have it both ways. Talk to old timers that grew up here, who could walk out to nearby LIVING REEFS back in the day. Dirty water, further degradation of our reefs, happy drunk tourists buying 5$ Tshirts, ending up on MSCO arrest website, or in the KOTS center? Or change Key West direction in a positive way? Let the residents decide!
The "anti-cruise" ship group is selling magic beans and fairy dust to people that are going to vote with their "feelings" and not facts. The end results will be a complete disaster for the Key West economy, workforce and businesses. Key West NEEDS the big cruise lines but they don't need Key West. After several years of a shrinking economy, the rubes will want the major cruise lines back to save the economy but will have lost ALL leverage. Key West will be lucky to get half the money they are receiving at the start of 2020.
Key West will survive because there is only one Key West. Unlike Denver or other cities that are stopping points to other destinations, such as fly in spots to Aspen or Vail, people go to Key West because they want to visit Key West. Instead of having a monster city known as Carnival, we will have multiple high end smaller ships paying more for dockage and better quality tourism. The cost to our environment by the criminal Carnival enterprise dumping waste into our paradise cannot be calculated. We are living in extraordinary times and people are either rich or they are poor. The richer are getting richer. The poor are getting poorer. Rich people will pay to visit Key West. They will spend BIG bucks for the privilege to visit an amazing island in the USA but may not want to get on a plane and fly abroad, nor are we even welcome. Deal from the top of the deck, not the bottom. It’s time we stop whoring ourselves out for the $5 quickie tourist. Let’s class it up and get $1000 from the rich prick.
"Let's class it up and get $1000 from the rich prick". Meanwhile, the homeless are shitting themselves all over our streets and locals are assholes to tourists. Maybe Key West should deal to tourists from the top of their deck instead of dishing out our worst from the very bottom.
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