Tampa the logical place for Cuban consulate

Editorial: Tampa the logical place for Cuban consulate
Published: September 3, 2015

Locating a Cuban consulate anywhere in the Tampa Bay area would give the
region a definite boost in international prestige and open the area to
greater trade and commerce with the island nation.

But putting it in Ybor City or an area nearby makes the most sense.

Tampa has the nation's third-largest Cuban population in the U.S. and a
shared history traced to the cigar industry and visits by Jose Marti to
rally support for Cuban independence.

As the Tribune's Paul Guzzo reports, a recent visit to Cuba by St.
Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has sparked speculation that Cuba is
considering that city as a home to its first consulate in the U.S. since
formal relations between the two countries ended in 1961.

A top Cuban official met with Kriseman during the trip, and the mayor
held a news conference this week to extol the virtues of a relationship
with Cuba. St. Petersburg is home to a marine science industry that is
working with Cuban scientists, and the city's reputation as an arts
center could be attractive to fostering artistic collaborations.

No doubt, St. Petersburg has a lot to offer. But it can't match the
historical connections Tampa has with Cuba.

Tampa officials also have expressed an interest in landing the
consulate. Proclamations from the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and
the Tampa City Council have been issued. And the chamber led a
delegation to Cuba this year.

But lacking in Tampa's pursuit is active support from Mayor Bob
Buckhorn. The mayor cites the communist nation's poor human rights
record as a reason for his refusal to visit, though he says that doesn't
mean he will stand in the way of hosting a consulate in Tampa if that's
what the Cuban government decides.

With the emergence of St. Petersburg as a potential site, perhaps
Buckhorn should rethink his decision to stand on the sidelines as the
two countries normalize relations.

"Tampa has a welcome mat out," says Tampa City Council member Yvonne
Yolie Capin, "but St. Pete's mayor brought the welcome mat to Cuba."

For Cuban expatriates, feelings run deep about the human rights abuses
the Castro regime inflicted on its population, and that makes it a
troublesome issue to navigate for politicians in this country. Miami has
the nation's largest Cuban population, and its mayor refuses to welcome
the consulate in his city.

But the normalization of relations between the two counties can be
expected to long outlast the term of a sitting politician.

It is understandable that many Cuban-Americans still want to have
nothing to do with its communist government. But the United States' 50
years of isolation policies have failed to improve life for the Cuban
people or weaken the Castros' grip on power. Having more interaction
with the people of Cuba, while continuing to promote human rights, is
more likely to effect change than the failed status quo.

We hope Buckhorn's stand doesn't keep the consulate from ending up in
the most logical place for it to be located in the Tampa Bay area,
either Ybor City or an area of downtown Tampa nearby.

Source: Editorial: Tampa the logical place for Cuban consulate | TBO.com
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