You may recall that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently sued the federal government to resume cruising. Now, Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have introduced a bill in Congress to force the CDC to resume cruising. I applaud my Senators for taking this bold action. We all need to contact our elected officials and urge them to sign on as co-sponsors to this legislation!
Click on the link below, locate your Senators and Representative and call their offices today. Tell the receptionist that you are strongly encouraging your elected officials to co-sponsor the “Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements (CRUISE) Act.” https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Below is the official press release from Senator Rubio’s office:
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements (CRUISE) Act, which would revoke the CDC’s current Conditional Sail Order on cruises and require the CDC to provide COVID-19 mitigation guidance for cruise lines to resume safe domestic operations by July 4, 2021. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) is leading companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In March, the Senators sent a letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID Response Coordinator, urging the Biden Administration to immediately issue clear guidance for the resumption of operations for the cruise industry. The Biden Administration has not responded to the letter, and still hasn’t provided guidance or a timeline to cruise lines for safely resuming operations, which is urgently needed.
“The benefits of cruise operations are integral to the economies of Florida’s port cities,” Rubio said. “Floridians and many other Americans who are employed by ports, cruise operators, or work in hospitality jobs near cruise terminals face an uncertain future because of the CDC’s unresponsiveness to requests for guidance by stakeholder groups. I am proud to join Senators Sullivan and Scott in introducing legislation that would require the CDC to provide guidance to safely resume operations this summer, and allow Florida’s economy to recover even further.”
“Unlike the airlines, rail, and other modes of transportation—and all other sectors of the hospitality industry for that matter—the cruise lines have been denied clear direction from the CDC on how to resume operations,” Sullivan said. “As a result, potential cruises this summer, when the President said the country will be able to return to normal with more and more Americans getting vaccinated, have been left adrift. The foot-dragging, mixed messages, and unresponsiveness of CDC leaders is totally unacceptable and ultimately endangering the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Americans and the hundreds of small businesses across Alaska that rely on the tourism sector. My legislation with Senators Scott and Rubio will accomplish what letters, meetings, and repeated phone calls have not—directing the CDC to finally codify timely guidance and a plan for cruise ships to safely and responsibly welcome passengers again this summer.”
Here is a link to my recent tv interview on WJXT in Jacksonville applauding Gov DeSantis: https://www.news4jax.com/news/2021/04/11/cruise-expert-its-time-the-cruise-industry-resumes/
Here is the link to the full press release: https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=07DC7E38-5BA0-4129-9B12-D562F396BE7F
