ORLANDO, fla. — In less than four months since it formed, the new Central Florida Limousine Association (CFLA) scored a victory to make illegal TNCs comply with regulations at Port Canaveral, one of the busiest cruise ship ports in the country handling almost four million passengers annually.
CFLA President Wendy Kleefisch (Brevard Executive Transportation) addressed the problem of illegal TNCs running trips to and from the port without permits, denying the port revenue from entrance and exit tolls. “I met with the new port CEO John Murray and actually pulled up the Uber app and showed him about 80 vehicles running around, and he was not aware this was going on,” Kleefisch said.
During a follow-up meeting, Kleefisch spent time with the port’s security team showing them how to identify illegal TNCs, such as the Lyft pink mustache, which has resulted in security staff turning away those TNCs and other vehicles running without a permit decal. Kleefisch said Murray made it clear that any vehicle transporting people should be turned away to go pay the tolls or they will be fined. Port Canaveral mandates transportation operators who regularly service the port must obtain an annual permit and carry a $1 million liability policy.
“There is a special commercial entrance and exit at the port where we have to pay a toll every time we enter and leave, and once the CEO realized how much revenue they are losing because of TNCs operating illegally, the port then monitored the situation to catch illegal drivers,” Kleefisch said.
Considering Port Canaveral recently completed a $48 million upgrade to handle additional, and larger, cruise ships, more passengers mean more business for regional operators, as well as more revenue for the port now that TNCs will be forced to follow the rules.
“As a new association, it feels good to get a win for our industry, especially when it’s about protecting the public’s safety,” Kleefisch said. On another note, CFLA operators are already giving back to the community, having provided funeral transportation for families of victims in the Orlando Pulse nightclub terrorist attack.
Big East
We have something special planned for East Coast industry associations at this year’s annual LCT-NLA Show East, to be held once again at the all-under-one-roof Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center in Atlantic City, Nov. 13-15. On Sunday, there will be a special Eastern Regional Forum from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. that will bring together association members up and down the East Coast to discuss issues of mutual concern, such as TNCs, regional regulatory issues, and how to better work together on regional media, PR and marketing initiatives.
In addition, the National Limousine Association will be holding its quarterly board of directors meeting at the show, and the annual State Association President’s meeting also happens Nov. 13. This unique gathering of industry movers and shakers will allow ample networking time, discussions, and strategy sessions to help operators work together on the most pressing issues. Information and schedules: www.lcteast.com.
Tom Halligan is LCT East Coast editor, based in Marlton, N.J. He travels regularly to industry association meetings in the eastern U.S. Tom can be reached at tom@lctmag.com.
Keywords
Florida operators industry leaders LCT-NLA Show East limo associations state regulations TNCs
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