Jacksonville businessmen meet with Cuban officials in Havana

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A group of local business leaders just got back from a trip to Havana, Cuba. Their goal: To position Jacksonville for potential trade with the island nation.

While no city leaders went on the trip, attorney Eric Smith, who led the group, said that did not hold them back from accomplishing what they set out to do.

For more than five decades, the U.S.-Cuba relationship has been complicated.

Smith believes it’s a new day in Cuba and now is the time to make sure Jacksonville isn’t left behind if, or when, the embargo is lifted.

“I think we accomplished some of the goals we wanted to accomplish,” Smith said. “We made some new friends, we planted the flag for Jacksonville so to speak.”

Their trip included a sit down with representatives of Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We want to let them know as former public officials, citizens and business people that Jacksonville would like to re-engage,” Smith said.

City Councilman Jim Love was invited on the trip, but couldn’t go because of scheduling conflicts.

Love said re-engaging with Cuba could benefit Jacksonville.

“I don't want Jacksonville to fall behind. I want to be on the leading edge, not the last port to be trading with Cuba,” said Love.

Other ports, like the Alabama State Port Authority, have inked agreements with the communist-led country.

Smith said his visit to the island also coincided with a visit from the governor of Mississippi.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been vocal against trading with the Castro dictatorship.

In a series of tweets in January, he said he’d recommend restricting funding for ports that work with Cuba.

Love said he understands the push back, but sees other opportunities.

“If it means jobs for the citizens of Jacksonville, that's what I’m for,” Love said.

Smith said he expects Jacksonville to at least be considered in the future.

“We asked for visibility and friendship and dialogue in the future and I think we were tremendously successful,” Smith said.

The last time an elected city leader visited Cuba in an official capacity was in 1995 when Smith traveled there as a city councilman; he was accompanied by a group of JAXPORT executives and other business leaders.

Cox Media Group