FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The mayors of a South Florida county and two of its cities have sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking him to reconsider his refusal to allow cruise lines requiring passengers to be vaccinated to embark or disembark from Florida ports.
Broward County Mayor Steve Geller, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy sent the letter to the governor Wednesday.
Calling the cruise industry "extremely important to Florida in general, and to Broward County in particular," the mayors applauded the governor's efforts to make the reopening of ports a priority.
"We agreed with you that the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) needed to set forth guidelines to reopen the industry," they wrote. "In fact, Mayor Geller wrote to the Florida congressional delegation and the CDC asking them to provide reopening guidance so that cruises could once again sail from Florida."
However, now that the CDC has provided guidelines and cruise lines are resuming operations, DeSantis has said he won't exempt the cruise industry from his executive order prohibiting COVID-19 "vaccine passports."
A new Florida law, which takes effect July 1, would also impose a $5,000 fine each time a cruise ship passenger is required to present proof of vaccination as a condition for travel.
"The industry has made it clear that they will not sail from our ports unless they can ensure that their crew and passengers are vaccinated," Geller, Trantalis and Levy wrote. "Every indication that we have seen is that many passengers are not willing to start cruising again without knowing that their fellow passengers and the crew are vaccinated. We are extremely concerned that unless a resolution can be reached, this impasse over the rules will result in the loss of the cruise industry in Broward County and Florida overall."
Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line has already threatened to skip Florida ports because of the governor's order.
DeSantis said last month that if smaller cruise lines choose to leave the state because of the ban on vaccine requirements, "that niche will get filled." He called Norwegian "not one of the bigger ones."
Geller, Trantalis and Levy said the cruise industry "wants to be able to assure their passengers that the crew and their fellow passengers are vaccinated."
"Our interests are in seeing the cruise ships sail again from Port Everglades, with the jobs and economic impact that this will bring to our county and cities," the mayors said.
They encouraged DeSantis "to come up with a solution that allows the industry to operate from our ports."
DeSantis announced in April that Florida was suing the CDC to end the cruise industry shutdown.
Hours after a federal court mediator declared an impasse in talks between the state and the CDC to settle the dispute, DeSantis blasted the national public health industry Thursday, saying the CDC "mothballed this industry for over a year" and has been "very unreasonable" during the mediation process.
"This whole vaccination issue is really, it's somewhat of a red herring, because, in their research, over 90% of the people that want to cruise have already been vaccinated at this point, so that's going to end up taking care of itself," DeSantis said during a news conference at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne. "You don't need to discriminate against people, and you shouldn't. CDC actually says, they count the kids. So people can't bring their families on these cruises?"
DeSantis also credited Florida's lawsuit with rejuvenating the cruise industry.
"Had we not done what we did by suing, you would not be talking about sailing right now," DeSantis said. "The CDC was not moving. They were not budging. They were non-responsive."
Geller, Trantalis and Levy concluded in their letter that their fear is DeSantis' "strict adherence" to his rules "will prevent what all four of us want, which is to reopen cruising in Florida."
DeSantis, however, was adamant that cruises will be sailing again soon.
"But there's not been a single elected official in this country who's done more to liberate the cruise lines from a bureaucracy that is totally out of touch and that, quite frankly, is exercising authority that they do not possess under the law," DeSantis said.
Read letter from mayors:
Dear Governor DeSantis:
We, the undersigned Mayors of Broward County, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, respectfully request that you reconsider your position against allowing the cruise industry to set sail pursuant to CDC guidelines. Port Everglades is located within the jurisdictional bounds of the three mayors, and we all consider reopening the port for cruise traffic to be extremely important to our county and cities.
As you know, the cruise industry is extremely important to Florida in general, and to Broward County in particular. We all applaud your past efforts to recognize this by making the reopening of ports in Florida a priority. We agreed with you that the CDC needed to set forth guidelines to reopen the industry. In fact, Mayor Geller wrote to the Florida Congressional Delegation and the CDC asking them to provide reopening guidance so that cruises could once again sail from Florida. The CDC has now provided guidelines, and the cruise companies are ready to begin sailing, which would have a huge positive impact on tourism, employment and our small businesses.
While the cruise lines are ready to set sail pursuant to CDC guidelines, they are currently prevented from doing so based on the state’s “No Vaccine Passport” rules. The industry has made it clear that they will not sail from our ports unless they can ensure that their crew and passengers are vaccinated. Every indication that we have seen is that many passengers are not willing to start cruising again without knowing that their fellow passengers and the crew are vaccinated. We are extremely concerned that unless a resolution can be reached, this impasse over the rules will result in the loss of the cruise industry in Broward County and Florida overall.
We know that you are a strong conservative that normally wants to let businesses operate without over-burdensome government regulations. The private sector cruise industry wants to be able to assure their passengers that the crew and their fellow passengers are vaccinated. The industry believes that without this requirement, passengers will not cruise.
Cruise ships are either interstate commerce or international commerce, and thus it seems to us that the federal government does have the right to regulate these activities, although the state may also have some concurrent jurisdiction. Our interests are in seeing the cruise ships sail again from Port Everglades, with the jobs and economic impact that this will bring to our county and cities.
We encourage you to come up with a solution that allows the industry to operate from our ports. We fear that strict adherence to “No Vaccine Passport” rules -- an issue that the private sector opposes and the federal government (which has jurisdiction) also opposes -- will prevent what all four of us want, which is to reopen cruising in Florida.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely,
Steve Geller
Broward County Mayor
Dean Trantalis
Fort Lauderdale Mayor
Josh Levy
Hollywood Mayor
