Tampa to work on boosting ties to Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

Tampa to work on boosting ties to Cuba
By Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, May 28, 2010

TAMPA — Saying it will boost the city's economy, the City Council on Thursday agreed to bring together local and national officials to work on a plan for improving Tampa's relations with Cuba.

"What needs to happen is a unified, concerted effort," said council chairman Tom Scott. "All parties should come together and map out a strategy."

The council voted to invite Mayor Pam Iorio and representatives of the Hillsborough County Commission, the Tampa Port Authority, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority and the Tampa area congressional delegation to develop a plan.

"It's so obvious that we have an opportunity in our community to generate business for the city of Tampa through this relationship," said council member Linda Saul-Sena.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article1098205.ece

[flamingdem]

1. I wonder if they'll ever revive the Tampa-Havana ferry of yesteryear nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. Around the time they were starting to make arrangements for the tiny food trade with Cuba,

Tampa was discussing that ferry then, thinking maybe the country was on the verge of a breakthrough in relations. This may have been under discussion during the last year of Bill Clinton's Presidency.

At the same time, they started planning making changes to their capacity for dealing with more boats in their harbor, too, were going to be moving things around, making new spaces, etc., etc. That part of their planning seemed to be actual, as if they did believe this is going to be a reality.

I stopped checking on it so I don't know what's been happening there since then, but it's a good guess they believed there was something in the wind and wanted to be prepared for it when it happened. Also, the mayor of Tampa made several trips to Havana to talk with officials there about prospects for future trade, which whipped up the hardliners to a fever pitch in his city, and they raised holy hell, trying to get him thrown out of office.