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.