Miami-Dade County Commissioners Oppose Cuban Consulate
Leaders in Miami-Dade county Wednesday voted against supporting the arrival of a Cuban consulate to the city.
County commissioners came to the decision with a 9-3 vote, strongly opposing the idea proposed by the Obama administration, the Miami Herald reports.
There have been talks of opening a consulate in the heavily Cuban populated city as the president continues to restore relations with the nation. In June of last year, the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., was opened to much fanfare, though a few protesters were present as well.
County Commissioner Esteban "Steve" Bovo introduced Wednesday's resolution, urging the federal government to rethink bringing a consulate to Miami. Despite the efforts made by the Obama administration, he said there are still major concerns with the Cuban government and how it treats its people.
"To think for a second, to have the Cuban government here, the dictatorship basically, here in Miami, I think is an affront to a huge majority of the Cuban-American community," said Bovo to the Miami Herald. He warned the move could potentially spark protests in the community, many of whom are exiles from the island country.
According to the Herald, a 2014 Bendixen & Amandi poll found that most Cuban Americans supported the idea of Miami consulate, with 50 percent in favor of the proposal and 39 percent against it. However, Cuban exiles in Florida were less enthusiastic, with only 41 percent in support and 46 percent opposed.
Many of the people opposed to the consulate have familial connections to Cuba. Bovo's father was a veteran of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1969. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, who also supports the resolution, is a Cuban native whose father was kept as a political prisoner for two decades.
"I'm going to go to federal court if the State Department grants a license to Cuba to establish a consulate here," Regalado said on Monday.
Bovo believes the time for a Miami consulate will arrive but not just yet.
"The moment there's a free Cuba, the moment there are elections in Cuba, the moment that beatings stop happening in Cuba, then I think there will be a very bright opportunity [for Miami-Dade] to take its right leadership role in Cuba," Bovo said.
"All we need is to be a little patient."