Floridians have offered a mixed response to President Barack Obama's historic trip to Cuba.

Restrictions Relax Between Cuba, U.S.

On Sunday, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the communist regime in 88 years. His trip comes 15 months after he first announced that his administration was working to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, more than five decades after the two nations cut ties in 1961.

Since this announcement, the U.S. has removed Cuba from the terrorism watch list and restored direct telephone lines to the island. In addition, direct mail service was resumed between the U.S. and Cuba, and both countries have reopened embassies in the capitals.

The U.S. also announced new measures last week that permit Cuban nationals to work in the U.S., encourage Americans to travel to Cuba for person-to-person educational tours, and allow major league baseball teams to sign Cuban players.

Miami Protesters Oppose Reestablishment

Although many have praised the White House for progress in reconnecting with the Caribbean island, more than 200 people gathered in Miami's Little Havana on Sunday to call for an end to increased relations with Cuba and to protest Obama's trip.

"I'm ashamed of our president today," said a 78-year-old protester Gloria Argudin at the rally Sunday morning. "I was arrested in Cuba back then for not supporting Fidel. No matter what, I haven't lost the strength to fight. Please fight with me for a free Cuba."

Protesters were also joined by Florida's Lieutenant Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, the son and grandson of Cuban exiles.

"Today is a sad day for me," said the Republican official. "I never thought that I would see a president of the United States of America landing Air Force One in a communist Cuba. I grew up learning firsthand what it was like to flee communism and oppression."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also publicly bashed Obama over this trip to the island. In a statement, Rubio called it "one of the most disgraceful trips ever taken by a U.S. president anywhere in the world."

The trip also "undermines our national security interests and acts against our values every single day," the senator added in the statement, which was issued on Saturday. "America should be standing with our allies and democracy advocates around the world, not embracing, enriching and empowering our enemies."

Other prominent Florida officials also slammed Obama and his efforts to normalize relations with the Castro regime.

"Rather than fighting for American interests and standing with the Cuban people, President Obama has been more focused on building a friendship with the repressive Cuban regime," said Republican State Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Likewise, Sylvia Iriondo, president of M.A.R. por Cuba (Mothers and Women for Anti-Repression) in Miami, said the president's visit was "ill-advised."

"When I heard that he was going to walk through the streets of Old Havana with his family, I could not help to think about the countless number of Cuban families that were uprooted, separated and destroyed because of the Castro regime," she said. "When I heard that President Obama was going to be photographed watching a baseball game in a stadium in Havana, I could not help but think that for the Cubans in the island, life is not a baseball game, or for that matter, any game."

Some Floridians Still on Board

On the other hand, Democratic Florida Rep. Kathy Castor accompanied Obama on his trip to Cuba and argued that normalizing relations with Cuba will help Tampa Bay's economy.

"This monumental and historic step is needed to help turn the page on a failed policy of isolation and move forward with greater engagement and normalizing relations with Cuba," Castor said last week. "President Obama and the congressional delegation's visit will encourage further economic and human rights changes on the island."

Meanwhile, Alberto Buron, a 92-year-old resident of Little Havana, predicts that Obama's trip will open doors and "fix a generation that is distorted and destroyed."

"I am very supportive of Obama going to Cuba," said Buron, who was arrested twice in Cuba in the 1960s for rebelling against the Castro regime. "Obama is not a communist. He is president of the greatest country on earth. This will open doors in Cuba and fix a generation that is distorted and destroyed. I may not be alive but you'll see, come back to me in some months and tell me how Cuba has improved for the best with Obama's help."

Other supporters, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, applauded the president on Twitter.

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