Who gets to steer big ships into port?
Ever see the TV show The Love Boat? Come on, sure you did. Big luxury cruise ship, passengers always getting romantically involved with each other, all done under the watchful eyes of Captain Stubing, Doc, Julie, Gopher, Issac and the gang. But if the Love Boat ever came to Florida, Captain Stubing would have to stand aside. Cruise and cargo ships must be guided in and out of Florida ports by our local, state-regulated harbor pilots. There are 94 of these pilots in Florida, and on the rare occasion they make news, it’s usually because (1) somebody thinks they make too much money, (2) something bad happened, or (3) something bad didn’t happen, as with a pilot who grounded his vessel a couple of years ago to prevent a much worse accident. Most often, it’s the money. Pilots make $100,000 to $400,000 a year, out of fees set by a state board and paid by the cruise lines and shipping companies. The average fee is $1,300, but it can cost a few thousand more than that to get a big one in and o
