Problem solved.
South Florida’s Sun Sentinel reports:
For the first time in five decades, the U.S. is allowing ferry service between Florida and Cuba.
At least four companies said they were notified Tuesday of approvals by the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, the first since Washington imposed a trade embargo on Cuba.
Licensed were Havana Ferry Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Baja Ferries of Miami, United Caribbean Lines Florida of Greater Orlando and Airline Brokers Co. of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
A Treasury spokeswoman confirmed approval of ferry licenses but would not say how many were approved. Cuba also must approve the operations.
“I’m very excited, because this is a historical event in U.S.-Cuba relations,” said Havana Ferry’s managing partner, Leonard Moecklin Sr.
The ferry companies plan to offer trips that would be less expensive than charter flights, while allowing more luggage free. Many Cuban-Americans haul down hefty supplies for family homes and new private businesses.
Two weeks ago NY Gov. Cuomo was in Cuba looking at a new port deal. Now it seems several companies have been approved to run ferries. It’s cheaper than charter flights yes, but flying to Cuba has been generally restricted anyway. Why all the new sea traffic? Why the focus on human cargo?
President Obama since Dec. 17 has moved to re-establish diplomatic ties with Cuba and has eased travel and trade. The passenger ferries will be able to carry only authorized U.S. travelers to Cuba, including people in 12 categories who no longer need a license in advance to visit. Those categories include family visits as well as religious and educational activities, among others.
Americans still are not allowed to travel to Cuba for general tourism under the terms of the U.S. embargo, which remains in place. Only Congress can lift the embargo.
Only Congress can lift the embargo but Obama can give them twelve excuses to keep seven or so ferry companies busy. My guess is there will be lots of one-way traffic. That will free up empty boats to head back to Cuba with whatever heretofore illegal contraband Obama waves through.
Here’s what companies are planning:
• Havana Ferry Partners hopes to launch its ferry service between Key West and Havana within weeks, possibly with a 200-passenger vessel, Moecklin said.
Good bye, Key West!
It also plans to add overnight ferry service later from Fort Lauderdale and Miami to Havana using a larger vessel that could carry 300 to 500 passengers, Moecklin said. Plus, it’s eyeing Port Manatee on Tampa Bay as a gateway with Cuba.
Good bye, Tampa!
Prices are not set, but Moecklin said Havana Ferry aims to charge passengers roughly $300 to $350 roundtrip, less than the roughly $400 to $500 price for charter flights to Cuba. Passengers could be allowed up to 200 pounds of luggage free.
Why so much free luggage?
“We don’t know the costs yet, because we don’t know the costs on the Cuban side,” Moecklin said. “I’m booking my flight to Cuba now” for talks with Cuban officials, he said.
Someone may cover the costs of the Cuban side, yes? Hello Caritas!
• Baja Ferries USA, an affiliate of United Americas of Miami, is looking to launch overnight service to Cuba possibly three times a week. It has held meetings with Port Everglades, Port Manatee and other Florida seaports to offer service.
“We’ve been waiting for this,” Baja Ferries executive Joe Hinson said of the license. The company already has ferry services in Mexico and between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Three shipments a week and that’s just one company!
A few years ago in the middle of the night, while I was camping on one of the Florida Keys, a group of about fifty Cuban rafters floated ashore and were picked up and processed by immigration. They were all ages, very happy and celebrating like it was midday, wearing thirty year-old clothes, and without one cell phone. It’s a dangerous choice, especially if they get wind of it before you go.
So today, in the Francis/Obama Cuba Era, thousands of weekly Cubans will pay twice their annual salaries to come visit? Were the conditions which made it necessary for people to risk the lives of children somehow eliminated? Was that entire rafter phenomenon America’s fault, because nothing has changed on the Island from what I can tell.
Things are very different here though. This isn’t about faith or charity. It’s about turning Florida into a blue state, and that goal has nothing to do with Catholicism. People who float over in rafts to escape Communist tyrants may vote Republican. People who sneak over in ferries probably don’t.
Thank you, Pope Francis! Now if you could just get a ferry system in place from Libya to Italy, you could make real progress on that new economic system with the human person at the center, instead of profit.
Maybe it’s time to stand on a rock at Lampedusa and scold people again.