A Florida bill that would overturn voters' decision to limit cruise ships in Key West was declared "dead" in Florida's House by one if its sponsors.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rep. Spencer Roach, Republican of North Fort Myers, said he did not see "a path forward" for the bill, but did say that "anything can happen" between now and the end of the Legislature's 60-day session on Friday.
In November, Key West voters approved measures to cap the number of cruise passengers allowed ashore daily, ban ships that carry more than 1,300 people from docking and prioritize ships based on their health and environmental records.
In January, Republican Sen. Jim Boyd, of Bradenton, near Tampa, submitted a bill to overturn the measures with legislation that would not allow local governments to regulate Florida seaport commerce, and specifically not be able to regulate or restrict "a vessel's type or size" or "number, origin or nationality of passengers."
The state Senate approved the bill last week in a 25-14 vote. Its death in the House this week appeared to be due to proposed amendments to the bill that would have expanded its scope to all Florida seaports as well as amendments by its opponents, such as Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat of Orlando, that would have required Key West voters who cast ballots to be sent a letter saying, "By the order of Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, and despite voters' overwhelming approval at the ballot box, the state of Florida has determined this local ballot initiative or referendum null and void. Your vote on this local law is now void."
Another roadblock was a report this week by the Miami Herald that Key West developer Mark Walsh, owner of one of the privately owned cruise ship piers in Key West and a staunch opponent of the referendums, had recently donated $995,000 to DeSantis' political committee.