The City of Key West’s April 5, 2022 City Commission assembled this evening to discuss two significant cruise ship related agenda items. The first was an operating and settlement agreement between the City and Pier B Development Corp (Pier B). The second, an ordinance to add to the City’s Code of Ordinances a chapter on Cruise Ship Regulations.

The commissioners listened to a couple hours of public comments from concerned citizens on all sides of these agenda items before a lengthy discussion of their on the cruise related items before making a decision on both items just before 9:30 PM local time. The full meeting can be viewed here.

NOT APPROVED: Proposed Pier B Operating Agreement

Agenda item 21, the Pier B Operating agreement would have defined a number of key terms which are not defined in there current agreement. The proposed terms included the following:

• Number of cruise ships that may dock at Pier B shall average a maximum of 349 ships per calendar year, over three consecutive calendar years
• Limited to 1 cruise ship per day.
• Pier B will limit, over any 3 consecutive calendar years, the number of passengers who actually disembark at Pier B to an average of 3,700 passengers per day.
• Pier B agrees that the maximum length of cruise ships that call at Pier B will not exceed 1,100 feet.
• Increase its disembarkation fee to $15.00 per passenger as its minimum per passenger disembarkation fee during the 2023 calendar year.
• Pier B will continue its donation program of $1.00 to Mote Marine Laboratory in support of reef restoration for every passenger who disembarks at Pier B.
• Pier B Black Out Dates – Pier B agrees to not have cruise ships dock at Pier B on the following dates but will implement these dates no later than January 1, 2025:
  • New Year’s Day – January 1 each year
  • Easter Sunday
  • Independence Day – July 4 each year
  • Thanksgiving Day – Fourth Thursday of each November
  • Christmas Eve – December 24 each year
  • Pier B agrees to select 10 additional dates on which dates cruise ships will not dock at Pier B.

After a discussion with council, the commissioners ultimately voted down the proposed operating agreement with Pier B resulting in no operational changes. Thus, leaving the original agreement in place.

Essentially, the commission feels Pier B did not offer enough, and chose to vote the agreement down instead of a non-vote with a request for a new negotiation. The commission felt this will place the onus on Pier B, if they choose, to come back with a new offer with further concessions and limitations.

APPROVED: Addition to City of Key West Ordinances – Cruise Ship Regulations

Agenda item 30 was an ordinance of the City of Key West, Florida, adding Chapter 80 of the Code of Ordinances, entitled “Cruise Ship Regulations” by adding the following sections:

• Prohibiting pollution of water, Establishing fees related to the failure to cleanup water pollution,
• Establishing a Coral Reef Restoration program and fund and establishing a mechanism for the funding of Restoration Fund and establishing a Water Quality testing program and a mechanism for the funding of such program;
• Passenger healthcare services;
• Providing for enforcement; Providing for severability; Providing for repeal of inconsistent Provisions; Providing for an effective date.

Following an amendment, the commission voted unanimously to approve adding a chapter to the city’s ordinance entitled, cruise ship regulations.