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City seems in denial about cruise ship issues
No matter which way it turns, the city of
Key West can't get away from the cruise ship issue these days.
City officials pointedly ignored or
downplayed a recent citizen protest, sparked by the visit of five ships
in one day. And last week, the commission unanimously approved a new
lease with the Cultural Preservation Society that allows unlimited
docking by Navy ships during sunset hours.
The Cultural Preservation Society is the
group that puts on Sunset Celebration, the nightly event that is one of
Key West's most popular and famous attractions. This group of artists
(who are juried to make sure they actually make what they sell) and
performers provide an only-in-Key West experience to hundreds of people,
night after night, complementing our only-in-Key West sunsets.
Miraculously, both are provided free of charge.
The Sunset Celebration has come to
symbolize the free-spirited, creative and unique character of Key West
that is a mainstay of our tourism image. How many times have we seen
Mallory Square featured in travel stories and promotional brochures? Can
we pretend it would be the same if the artists were simply selling
imported trinkets or the performers were concocted "characters," a la
Disneyland?
On our island, they are there for the love
of their craft, and because this is one of those rare places where they
can make a living.
Commissioners heard some objections to the
new contract with the Cultural Preservation Society because it includes
an ominous new clause, appropriately enough in section 13. Until now,
the city was only allowed to dock ships at Mallory during sunset hours
12 times per year, protecting the livelihoods of the artists and the
dependability of a world-famous attraction.
The new clause allows unlimited docking
for Navy ships. Why Navy ships?
Because the city has reached an agreement
with the Navy that when a Navy ship and a cruise ship are in conflict at
the Outer Mole — the Navy's own pier at Truman Annex — then Navy ships
can be bumped to Mallory Square.
It is unfortunate that the Navy agreed to
move from their own, more easily secured property, in order to
accommodate increasing cruise ship traffic at the city's request. It is
even more unfortunate that the commissioners chose to blow off citizen
concerns about this move, and unanimously approved the new contract with
part 13 intact.
At the meeting, commissioners told the
objectors they were silly to imagine this was a strategy intended to
facilitate increased cruise ship visitation to the island. Yes, how
ridiculous. Wherever would they have gotten that idea — from the
tripling of cruise ships over the last decade? From the January
passenger counts that were the highest January on record — 36 percent
greater than January 2003? Or from the fact that citizen concerns,
expressed everywhere from automobiles on Duval Street to the
best-attended city summit ever, continue to be ignored?
This week, city staff announced that the
city will see cruise ship cancellations because of the Navy's
long-planned work to repair the Outer Mole. City staff has known this is
coming for a long time, and included this in their budget planning,
according to Port Director Raymond Archer.
Too bad, then, that no one thought to
bring it up during last week's discussions about Mallory Square.
It could be Mallory is the only option for
Navy ships during that repair period, and this is the best option. But
it would have been nice to have an honest discussion about where ships
are docking and why.
Cruise ship visitation at its current level is changing the nature of
our island. People are noticing. Ignoring the issue and collecting the
short-term cash is an unwise policy. It is a grave disservice to the
community as a whole, including residents who support our local economy
year-round and businesses who attempt to provide our visitors a taste of
the Key West we love and promote in our expensive advertising, the
island that is different from other places and offers experiences you
won't find anywhere else. Like Sunset Celebration. |
