24 Environmental Groups ask Gov. DeSantis to Stop Seaport Preemption

Following the Monroe County Commission's unanimous vote to support the three referendums passed by Key West voters and an endorsement from the Editorial Board of the Miami Herald, a coalition of 24 leading environmental organizations and Florida Keys' property owners' associations have published an open letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, calling on him to help stop legislation that would overturn the vote and force Key West to accept large cruise ships. Read the full letter below

March 22, 2021

The Honorable Ron DeSantis
Governor, State of Florida
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399

Subject: Oppose Preemption of Ports

Dear Governor DeSantis:

On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we respectfully request that you oppose any efforts to strip Florida’s communities of the ability to manage their local ports. “State Preemption of Seaport Regulations” (SB 426/HB 267) seeks to implement an overbroad and unnecessary statewide preemption in response to a single community’s recent referenda. Specifically, these bills target the deliberative and democratic efforts of the voters of Key West to protect public and ecological health by restricting the size and scale of cruise ships utilizing their municipally owned port.

The Florida Keys are home to the world's third-largest barrier reef and an ecosystem so fragile that it is designated a State Area of Critical Concern. Key West is the only cruise port in the world with a relatively shallow and narrow main channel in such close proximity to coral reef ecosystem habitats. The ship channel runs directly through the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and in the immediate vicinity of some of the most sensitive ecological preserves in the hemisphere, including the Key West National Wildlife Refuge; Sanctuary Preservation Areas including Sand Key, Rock Key, and Western Sambo; and Western Dry Rocks, which was granted new protections by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission just this year.

On January 30th, you unveiled Florida’s Coral Reef, a new awareness campaign and website created by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and twenty-five partner organizations, including NOAA, Florida State Parks, the Coral Restoration Foundation, and others. The coalition correctly notes that Florida’s coral reefs are a “delicately balanced and interconnected community” and that “without continued bold and aggressive action, we may lose critical functions and benefits of the reefs.” In addition to storm protection, recreation, and wildlife habitat, one of those many benefits is undoubtedly economic. Coral reefs in southeast Florida have an asset value of $8.5 billion, generating $4.4 billion in local sales, $2 billion in local income, and 70,400 full and part-time jobs.

Florida’s unique and irreplaceable environment is the driver for the state’s tourism economy and the reason why so many choose to make this great state home. Our local governments have the opportunity to help protect these ecological treasures, if we let them lead. We respectfully request that you oppose any efforts to preempt local control of ports, and stand for home rule and the protection of Florida’s imperiled coral reefs.

Sincerely,

Evan Haskell | President
Key West Committee for Safer, Cleaner Ships

Paul Owens | President
1000 Friends of Florida

Lester Abberger | Legislative Advocate
American Planning Association Florida Chapter