Ferry to Cuba being explored
BY PRU SOWERS
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
Key West is actively exploring the feasibility of expanding the existing ferry terminal to accommodate travel to and from Cuba.
Doug Bradshaw, director of the city’s Port and Marine Services, told city commissioners Nov. 4 that an outside consultant is in the middle of a process to explore what it would take to make the current ferry terminal, which handles domestic ferries primarily from the west coast of Florida, into one that can handle international travelers. The four-step evaluation includes a site survey of the existing terminal at the Key West Bight, working with federal customs officials to determine what would be needed to process ferry passengers arriving from Cuba, and what the potential costs would be.
“They’re looking at that, everything from offices to check stations to luggage to holding cells, all kinds of things that go into this facility,” Bradshaw said.
K2M, the consultant hired for $19,850 to assess the feasibility of turning the domestic terminal into an international port of call, is currently working with the U.S. Customs and Boarder Patrol (CBP) on space and programming needs. Based on those, K2M will make estimates on the number of passengers that an expanded terminal could handle based on CBP requirements.
The news delighted at least one city commissioner. Sam Kaufman called the news “amazing” and said it would create new business and cultural exchange opportunities for Key West. He strongly urged Bradshaw to make it happen.
“You are extremely talented,” Kaufman told Bradshaw. “We do not want to hear you come back and say we can’t do it, OK? Those are not acceptable words.”
Bradshaw accepted the challenge but warned there are several issues that have to be overcome before Key West can become a destination for Cuban passengers, as well as U.S. tourists traveling to the recently-opened island. K2M may conclude that there simply isn’t enough room to sufficiently expand the current terminal to meet U.S. Customs requirements.
“Or it may come back that you can do it but you just don’t have the ability to handle a significant amount of passengers in order to make it cost effective for a private operation to run this facility,” Bradshaw said, adding, “You’ve still got limitations on your dock facility and determining if you can expand those in cooperation with the Navy. There are some issues there.”
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This idea was talked about 20 to 25 years ago by some big guys with black suites and bent noses in Jacksonville, Florida. I was there! They had all the plans for a passenger ferry system and for a vehicle ferry system similar to those used in New England to Newfoundland and other places. They had all the money lined up and the ships too. I took one look and asked a few simple questions. 1. Who in their right mind would travel 150 miles from Miami to Key West to get on a ferry to go to Cuba when you can fly there in an hour? 2. Who would spend all that money to drive their car and back? 3. What insurance company would take the chance to insure my vehicle in a Communist country? 4. If I just walked on the ferry, who do I rent a 1953 Chevy from in Cuba? DEM GUYS threw the papers straight up and I quietly walked out the door! Let’s spend more tax payers monye to do a million dollar study on this OK?