Last week, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis and his cabinet approved the controversial Pier B Project, allowing larger cruise ships to dock in Key West. In Key West, local residents, environmentalists, and fishing communities have consistently offered their opposition to this project due to the heightened environmental impacts from the larger, deeper-drafting ships. While Key West certainly benefits from the cruise ship economy, these ships quite literally suffocate Key West harbor’s struggling reef ecosystem due to the propulsion-induced sediment plumes.
As you can see in the cover picture, the cruise ships’ sediment plumes are massive and can have devastating impacts on the local marine ecosystems.
- Presence of these resuspended sediments in the water column, as indicated by turbidity can interfere with feeding/respiration by aquatic organisms.
- Light levels are also reduced, which affects the health of seagrasses and corals as light extinction is directly related to water turbidity.
- Resuspended sediment and turbidity could also affect hard-bottom communities by smothering
- Turbidity and water temperature have been described as major characteristics of nearshore waters that negatively affect corals on the Florida Reef Tract.
Back in 2020, Key West residents made their opposition to larger ships clear with an overwhelming vote on a ballot initiative to place reasonable limits on the local cruise ship industry. However, in 2021 Governor DeSantis overruled that approved ballot initiative, paving the way for expanded pier construction.
Safer Cleaner Ships, a local non-profit in the Florida Keys working to protect the future health, economic well-being, and environmental stewardship of Key West, has opposed this project and efforts to allow larger cruise ships in Key West for years. Leading up to decision last week, Safer Cleaner Ships sent out an action alert to oppose the development. The group wrote “applicant Mark Walsh, whose family operates the pier as Pier B Development Corporation wants ships up to 1,053’ long. That’s bigger than any cruise ship Key West has ever seen.There’s no question that large cruise ships at Pier B degrade water quality; that coral needs clean, clear water to survive; that the area is critical habitat for endangered corals now dying at alarming rates; that bigger ships cause more severe water quality degradation.”
Unfortunately, Florida politics have once again ignored the preference of the local Florida Keys’ communities in permitting this project and its larger cruise ships. While COVID was a strange, difficult time for mush of the country, the halted cruise industry and Key West vessel traffic proved just how resilient the harbor and reef are. Time will tell if the Keys can withstand this new and expanded threat of larger, deeper drafting ships.
