Editorial: Tampa the logical place for Cuban consulate

[Judi Lynn]

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.

More:
http://www.tbo.com/list/news-opinion-editorials/editorial-tampa-the-logical-place-for-cuban-consulate-20150903/

[HooptieWagon]

1. Tampa had Cubans long before Miami was founded.

The cigar industry began in Tampa in the late 1800s. Tampa is a better location, and won't see the level of protest from RW Cuban-Americans that would likely occur in Miami.