Gov. Rick Scott wants Florida ports to cease trade with Cuba

Gov. Rick Scott wants Florida ports to cease trade with Cuba
Posted By Jim Turner, the News Service of Florida on Thu, Jan 26, 2017
at 10:23 am

Gov. Rick Scott is using Twitter to threaten funding cuts for port
operators that do business with Cuba, as legal cargo arrived Wednesday
at Port Everglades from the island nation.

"Disappointed some FL ports would enter into any agreement with Cuban
dictatorship," Scott wrote in a series of tweets Wednesday. "I will
recommend restricting state funds for ports that work with Cuba in my
budget. We cannot condone Raul Castro's oppressive behavior. Serious
security/human rights concerns."

Scott, who has been a proponent of the state's ports increasing
international trade since he took office in 2011, has also been a critic
of former President Barack Obama's efforts to restore relations with the
communist government of the nation 90 miles south of Florida.

The state's $82 billion budget for the current fiscal year, which began
July 1, includes $153 million for port projects administered by the
Department of Transportation.

Lawmakers last year also approved a wide-ranging transportation bill (HB
7027) that boosts the minimum annual funding for the Florida Seaport
Transportation and Economic Development program —- administered by the
Florida Ports Council —- from $15 million to $25 million.

The Tallahassee-based council, the lobbying arm for ports across the
state, noted that while it hasn't been involved in the Port Everglades
endeavor, it has long stressed a need to address "political and social
challenges" with Cuba.

"Florida ports are currently the main conduit for the shipping of
consumer goods to nations in the Caribbean Basin, and we continuously
monitor new trade opportunities," Florida Ports Council President and
CEO Doug Wheeler said in a statement. "However, serious political and
social challenges need to be addressed before Florida can participate in
free and open trade with Cuba."

Representatives of Port Everglades did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.

The tweets by Scott, who will announce his proposed 2017-2018 budget in
the coming weeks, came as President Donald Trump has indicated he may
reverse some of Obama's attempts to thaw relations with Cuba.

"If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the
Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal,"
Trump tweeted Nov. 28.

Trump's tweet echoed a campaign statement he made during a stop in Florida.

"All of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime
were done through executive order, which means the next president can
reverse them —- and that is what I will do, unless the Castro regime
meets our demands," Trump told a Miami crowd in September. "Those
demands will include religious and political freedom for the Cuban people."

On Wednesday, a Cuban cargo ship, carrying containers of artisanal
charcoal, arrived at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, the first such
delivery since rule changes involving the island were enacted by Obama.

A delegation from Cuba is expected at the port on Thursday to sign a
memorandum of understanding with the National Port Administration of
Cuba regarding future joint operations.

Since Scott took office, Florida has invested more than $1 billion in
ports, and some of the largest checks have floated into South Florida
for projects that include the lengthening of the deepwater turn-around
for cargo ships at Port Everglades.

Last May, the Ports Council released a report indicating that nearly
$3.7 billion more —- in state, local and private funds —- will be needed
over the next five years to handle growing international trade at the
majority of Florida seaports.

Source: Gov. Rick Scott wants Florida ports to cease trade with Cuba |
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