My name is Rudy Molinet. I live at 510 Frances Street.
I represent the Frances Street Neighborhood Association. It represents 150 households in Old Town. Last evening 40 of us met to discuss the impact of the ordinances before you tonight.
Old Town will suffer the greatest impact of any additional tour vehicles and routes. A professional traffic and environmental impact study and, then, a comprehensive, well-planned ordinance, should be in place before the Commission considers licensing any new tour operator, any more tour vehicles, or any new kind of tour vehicle.
The purpose of municipal franchises and licenses is to regulate the quality and efficiency of businesses engaged in a certain service, in order to guarantee the quality and delivery of that service, and to protect the residents of the neighborhoods in which it operates. That’s why you limit the number of taxies, cruise ships, hotel rooms, liquor licenses, and street vendors. Past lawsuits have in no way diminished the Commission’s right, power and obligation to control traffic safety, traffic congestion, visual pollution, and noise pollution in our neighborhoods – all of which would be affected by adding unvetted tour operators and more and new types of tour vehicles.
At the first reading of this ordinance Key West was compared to Boston, Savannah, and Washington, D.C. These cities have larger tourist areas, more regulators, and more police. Increasing the number of tour vehicles here will increase neither the number of tourists who come here or who use its tour vehicles. Thus, adding more tour companies and vehicles won’t increase the City’s income. It will increase the mass of tour vehicles, traffic danger and congestion, noise and visual pollution, and the taxpayers’ expense of controlling and regulating them.
We respectfully ask the Commission first to conduct a professional impact study and then, to amend the proposed Ordinance to require of any applicant:
1. Personal, financial and business background checks of all its principals.
2. Credible safety and courtesy training programs.
3. Limiting advertising on tour vehicles and requiring ear phones instead of loudspeakers.
4. Florida registration of all tour vehicles.
5. A public hearing and the written approval by a majority of impacted homeowners of any new tour route.
6. Limitation of leases to no more than 6 years.
7. Minimum passenger load of 25% on each vehicle.
We deserve an ordinance that will preserve our quality of life.
(Note: Also see the comments by Mary Haffenreffer below.)
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