State Legislators see cruise ships as possible source of tax revenue by David Fleshler As they float into the ports of South Florida, the great ships of Royal Caribbean, Holland America and other cruise lines give an impression of solidity, confidence and wealth. But to the industry's leaders, the luxurious vessels may as well have targets painted on them.
State legislators see the ships as a possible source of tax revenue.
Environmentalists view them as floating toxic waste sites. And trial lawyers see them as fat targets for lawsuits. In the past year, the industry has faced a threat to tax cruise passengers to build a stadium for the Florida Marlins baseball team. And it confronted state and federal regulators who were taking a harder look at sewage discharges at sea, hazardous waste generation and other forms of pollution by cruise ships. The cruise lines discovered that they needed friends, and this year they worked hard to make some.