The state legislative effort to overturn Key Westâs voter-approved restrictions on cruise ships took a leap forward Wednesday when the Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill that would remove the cityâs ability to regulate its own harbor.
Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, the freshman senator representing the Florida Keys, voted against the bill. However, she had earlier put forth an amendment that would have exempted Key West from the proposed Senate Bill 426 because the city is a State Area of Critical Concern. That designation allows special protections for the off-shore waters of Key West because of its delicate coral and fish ecosystems.
The Senate Transportation Committee backed a revised bill (SB 426) that initially sought to block local governments from enacting rules on port operations statewide. The revised bill approved Thursday in a 6-2 vote would limit a state “pre-emption” of local regulations to cruise ship operations in municipal-run ports in Pensacola, Panama City, Key West and St. Petersburg. Currently, only Key West has cruise ship operations.
Florida lawmakers continued Wednesday to narrow an effort to overturn a decision by Key West voters last year that placed restrictions on cruise ships docking at the city’s port.
Port of Pensacola included in bill aimed at restricting local control over ports pnj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pnj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
TALLAHASSEE - Most seaports in the state were removed Wednesday from legislation that seeks to block local governments from enacting rules on port operations, an issue stemming from a vote last year in Key West that placed limits on cruise ships.
The House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee voted 12-6 to approve a revised measure (HB 267) that would only block local regulations at municipal-run ports in Pensacola, Panama City, Key West and St. Petersburg.
In the decision to remove other ports from the bill, Rep. Rick Roth, a West Palm Beach Republican whose district is just north of the Port of Palm Beach, said lawmakers were trying to solve the issue “more with a scalpel than with a sledgehammer.”