Florida State Representative Chip LaMarca (R-Lighthouse Point) had the following statement on the MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam plans for docking in Port Everglades.
“After speaking with our District Coast Guard Captain for Port Everglades, who shared high-level details of the plan, I remain cautiously optimistic. We discussed in detail other military ports that would have presented more viable and more timely options throughout the Caribbean and the entire coast of Florida.
“However, the ships are sitting off our coast and a final plan still has not been circulated to local leaders and the public. My greatest concern is that we have seen delay, delay, delay as these ships came through the Panama Canal and barreled through the Caribbean Sea towards Port Everglades, without a transparent and viable plan of action in place. County and Carnival leadership had 96 hours to come to an agreement, yet indecision and reluctance to listen to our maritime and military experts, who may have chosen an alternative that could have potentially kept our community safer, cost us valuable time for both the sick passengers and first responders.”
