Port of Galveston for bringing the ships into the port. Cruises account for approximately 60% of the port's revenues. Unlike other cruise ports in the United States, the port of Galveston can be affected by fog, particularly in late December, January, and February. This can delay the ships' return to port. Beginning in 2014, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission began collecting taxes from returning cruise passengers on any alcohol and cigarettes they had purchased onboard or in foreign ports. Much of the port's profit comes from parking fees. Approximately two-thirds of Galveston cruise passengers drive to the port. The port operates a large
Free State of Galveston nephew of Sam and Rose, claimed that most of the equipment was shipped to Las Vegas before authorities ever discovered it. As the vice industries crashed, so did tourism, and the rest of the Galveston economy declined with it. The economy stagnated during the 1950s, and after 1957 the "Free State" was effectively gone. Fort Crockett, which had been used as an Army recreation center following the war, was shut down in 1955. Many of the island's most important entertainment business leaders left the city and set up shop in Las Vegas. Neither the economy nor the culture of the