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Key West Cab Drivers May Charge Vomit Fee

KEY WEST (CBSMiami/AP) - Plan on hailing a cab back to the hotel after a night of heavy drinking in Key West? Better hope what went down doesn't come back up as taxi drivers are working on implementing a vomit clean-up fee.

Key West is a popular tourist destination often associated with partying and drinking.

When a customer vomits inside a cab, according to the taxi drivers in Key West, they are forced off the road for hours to cleanup up the mess.

To cover the potential loss, Key West cab drivers plan on adding $50 to the tab of any drunken cab riders that get sick inside the cab.

According to CBS4 News partner the Miami Herald, Jan Donlan, the owner of a taxi company in Key West, told commissioners that they can't enforce the vomit clean-up fee, "unless it's in the ordinance."

The Five 6's taxi company, the largest cab company in Key West, according to the paper, reports that five or six people each year vomit in the back seat, both Fantasy Fest and New Year's seem to be particularly drinking-related vomit inducing.

The fee, according to the paper, will not apply to children or those riding sober that happen to get sick.

The final hearing on the issue is set for Wednesday.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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