"it’s still harder to find a job in Miami than it is in Detroit" (Havana: Cuban, restrictions)

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by Jmlacysr

Granted, but who buys more gas here, the ones who live here or the visitors who come here for the weekend?

Let's assume next year we have double the visitors. Will the tourist industry hire twice as many people? Build new hotels and if so where?

Where is the potential for real long term growth and long term jobs?

You have to grow the economy from within and I think that's where Miami is failing. It should be a vibrant economy on it's own with the icing on the cake being the tourist dollars. Miami right now is a one wheel bicycle.

Two more hotels are coming in the Brickell area:

Venezuelans turn lingering 14-story Brickell tower into Starwood hotel

[cixcell]

just came out today
Far fewer businesses in South Florida - Economy & Banking - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/25/2184100/far-fewer-business-in-south-florida.html - broken link)

[thelion]

Originally Posted by cixcell

just came out today
Far fewer businesses in South Florida - Economy & Banking - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/25/2184100/far-fewer-business-in-south-florida.html - broken link)

I don't think that's anything to write home about though.

[cixcell]

i have a question: if the embargo ended would south florida make scads of money using it's ports to export all sorts of products to cuba? perhaps barges carrying cars? stuff delivered from china to MIA and then trucked to the port to be hauled to cuba by freighter?

[thelion]

Originally Posted by cixcell

i have a question: if the embargo ended would south florida make scads of money using it's ports to export all sorts of products to cuba? perhaps barges carrying cars? stuff delivered from china to MIA and then trucked to the port to be hauled to cuba by freighter?

Ships from China can come straight to Miami, so they would probably just go straight to Cuba.

Our main export to Cuba would probably be food, and cars, maybe.

[flyers29]

Originally Posted by cixcell

i have a question: if the embargo ended would south florida make scads of money using it's ports to export all sorts of products to cuba? perhaps barges carrying cars? stuff delivered from china to MIA and then trucked to the port to be hauled to cuba by freighter?

Hard to predict how that would affect things--Cuba has to let the stuff in, and while I imagine they will to some extent there definitely wouldn't be any sort of free trade agreement.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by thelion

Ships from China can come straight to Miami, so they would probably just go straight to Cuba.

Our main export to Cuba would probably be food, and cars, maybe.

over by MIA there are train tracks they deliver the cars from detroit so that is a potential avenue for them to come here to be loaded on ships for cuba.

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by cixcell

over by MIA there are train tracks they deliver the cars from detroit so that is a potential avenue for them to come here to be loaded on ships for cuba.

True, but the rail infrastructure in the downtown area has been torn up and removed since the 60s,70s and 80s. You still have to get the rail from MIA to the port. A lot of those old tracks by Biscayne are long gone. The tracks in deep South Dade are in very poor shape too, as the trains drive very, very slowly (10-15 mph)

[cixcell]

there are probably still some tracks there but warren buffet probably owns them and will charge a premium. still if there was business to be made it would probably happen.

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by cixcell

there are probably still some tracks there but warren buffet probably owns them and will charge a premium. still if there was business to be made it would probably happen.

There are some tracks but there is no direct link from one side to the other. The proposed Port Tunnel project is supposed to address that:

"There is no direct link between the port and the nearby expressways such as Interstate 95 and State Road 836."

Port of Miami puts rail project on fast track - Top Stories - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/21/1785682/port-of-miami-puts-rail-project.html#ixzz1KYgwkr4D - broken link)