A day after citizens of Key West thought the legislation aimed at overturning their vote to limit cruise ship traffic appeared dead, Republican legislative leaders quickly reversed course Wednesday and powered it past Democrats to send it to the governor.
Sen. Jim Boyd, the Bradenton Republican who sponsored the original bill that stalled earlier this week in the House, attached an amendment to an unrelated Senate transportation bill declaring that “any local ballot initiative or referendum may not restrict maritime commerce” at any one of Florida’s 15 deep-water ports.
The provision is retroactive, applying the ban to three referendums approved by 60% of Key West voters in November.
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
