Key West Asks Navy to Consider Cruise Limits at Outer Mole
Key West’s current lease at the Outer Mole expires August 3, 2026, while the Navy seeks long-term proposals compensated through in-kind consideration.
The Key West City Commission voted 5-2 Wednesday to reaffirm the city’s One Ship Policy and ask the U.S. Navy to consider local cruise limits as it evaluates future use of the Navy-owned Outer Mole Pier. The resolution seeks voluntary coordination on large cruise ship activity while acknowledging that the city cannot apply its cruise rules to a pier under federal jurisdiction.
The measure also restates the city’s preference that large ships be directed away from Mallory Dock and the Outer Mole to privately managed Pier B.
Commission split over legal effect
The One Ship Policy, established under Resolution 22-073, limits cruise ship traffic at city-controlled docks to one ship per day. The policy applies to Mallory Square and the Outer Mole in the city’s local framework, while Pier B remains the private facility used for large cruise calls.
City Commissioner Sam Kaufman sponsored the resolution and said environmental protection was a main concern. Kaufman, Monica Haskell, Donie Lee, Greg Veliz and Mayor Danise “DeeDee” Henriquez voted in favor; Commissioners Aaron Castillo and Lissette Carey voted no.
Henriquez pointed to the Navy’s ownership of the pier. “I will have to say yes even though this letter does nothing,” she said during the vote, after raising concerns that the resolution could have a political motive.
The resolution directs the City Manager and City Clerk to transmit a certified copy to Navy representatives and asks the Navy to “voluntarily coordinate and cooperate” with Key West by considering local referenda, ordinances, resolutions and policies on large cruise ship activity. It also says the request is not intended to create legal requirements for the Navy.
Arlo Haskell, president of Safer Cleaner Ships, told commissioners during the meeting that the city had received more than 100 written public comments from residents supporting the resolution.
How the One Ship Policy took hold
The policy has roots in Key West’s November 2020 cruise referenda, when voters approved local limits on cruise activity. The Florida Legislature later overturned similar local ballot restrictions in 2021 through Senate Bill 1194, which preempted local initiatives that restricted maritime commerce.
The city subsequently adopted the One Ship Policy as a proprietary dock policy in March 2022. It has used the measure to keep large ships, defined in the background to the policy as vessels carrying more than 1,300 passengers, away from city-controlled piers.
Key West has three cruise docking facilities: Pier B, Mallory Square and the Outer Mole. Pier B and Mallory Square are within walking distance of Old Town, while passengers at the federally owned Outer Mole cannot walk directly through Navy property and must use a shuttle or trolley connection.
The Navy has issued a request for interest for new long-term lease proposals that would compensate the service through in-kind consideration rather than cash. Key West’s current lease expires Aug. 3, 2026.
