Tampa And Miami In Cold War Over Cuban Trade

[Mika]

Tampa And Miami In Cold War Over Cuban Trade
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Quietly at first, and now quite publicly, the city of Tampa has courted Cuba in hopes of becoming its future trading partner. Business owners in Tampa talk of how they’ll capitalize when the island opens up, and politicians make trips there and have come out against the embargo.

Things are far different across the state in Miami. Elected officials there favor the trade embargo. Business leaders, fearful of retribution, rarely speak about future trade with the island nation.
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More here --> http://www.wlrn.org/post/tampa-and-miami-cold-war-over-cuban-trade

[djean111]

1. Rubio tried to block Tampa and other Florida cities from offering flights to Cuba.

He owes a lot to Miami interests.

[Mika]

2. It's much more than Miami's exile interests - they provide cover for the bigger picture.

The bigger picture - campaign money for both the pro and anti trade US political factions.
No embargo = no anti trade AND pro trade campaign contributions.
Status quo = money for BOTH sides.

[djean111]

3. Oh, yes, I know Rubio is ALL about campaign contributions.

I wonder if Jebbie still is prepping Rubio for VP.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Tampa started shifting around as soon as the US Congress OK'd a narrow window

of trade between some US companies and Cuba's Alimport after their food reserves were severely damaged by Hurricane Michelle.

There was discussion of modernizing the enlarging the port, refurbishing the area in preparation for a possible shift to more traffic between Tampa and Cuba, and there was talk of restarting the ferry between Cuba and Tampa, as well as trips by the Mayor of Tampa to Cuba which ticked off his right-wing political adversaries like no one's business.

They continued to make noises like that since then. I'm sure there's no doubt Tampa would be far more likely to take off and trade much more quickly than Miami, and it's important to note that there has been a Cuban community in Tampa since well before the revolution. It also became the home of Mafia creep Santo Trafficante after his business in Cuba was chased out of town by the revolutionary government.

Isn't there even a very old cigar factory near Tampa, started before the revolution?

Tampa has earned the right to trade with Cuba first. (I also remember Galveston jumped up immediately and started sending out signs of interest early when the idea surfaced that Cuba trade might be coming into view.)

Thank you for the information, Mika.

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[Vogon_Glory]

5. Tampa Was Once One Of The Major gateways To Cuba

Tampa was once one of the principal US ports for goods shipped to and from Cuba before the trade embargo, along with Mobile, New Orleans, and Galveston. It appears that somebody in Tampa remembers that, despite the caterwauling of Teabaggers, geriatric cosmic Commie-killers, and politicians catering to the Miami crowd.