Is this good news or bad news for South Florida? (Miami: unemployment, casinos)

[Kinetic_A]

Govt to let Cubans travel freely - Yahoo! News

Should I start packing now? lol

[tankhead]

There are still some unknowns in relation to this:

1. Whether the United States will grant Cubans visas (tourist or otherwise). If they do, Cubans will come en masse.

2. Whether other countries will grant Cubans visas (tourist or otherwise). If they do, it will make it that much easier for Cubans to come to the United States via a 3rd country.

3. Whether the United States will keep the wet foot, dry foot policy in place if either #1 or #2 occurs.

[FlyMIA]

Lots of questions here. Not sure how many visas the U.S. will give. If wet foot dry foot and other laws stay put Cubans can just go to Mexico and present themselves at the border and they get to stay. The U.S. may have to change come laws.

When Cuba is completely free and the U.S. gets rid of the embargo and travel restrictions it will be a good thing for Miami. There will be more cruises. There will be flights every 30mins leaving from Miami and Fort Lauderdale airport and companies will set up corporate relations shops in Miami even more.

What lifting the embargo and travel restrictions might due is limit the amount of people who visit Miami but thinking about it, it may increase it. Canadians or Europeans who go to Cuba might say hey might as well go to Miami too. Right now that would require a stop in another country with stuff lifted it would be a direct flight.

It will certainly hurt every other carribbean island at least for a few years. It will especially hurt other islands if they allow casinos.

I need to get over to Cuba before it turns Americanize. Even though they still have a large travel industry it's not like the rest of the Caribbean. When a free country, I think Havana has the potential to be a premier city. It's filled with so much culture history and great buildings.

[JacobMAX]

That's a tough one, I prefer to stay in the middle of the road on that subject - it's very controversial and complex actually.

[Marina1686]

Bad.... Another wave of Cuban immigrants, but now even worse with the recession and the high unemployment of South Florida. Welfare funds will get empty in a matter of hours (let's not forget Cubans get food stamps and other benefits as soon as they arrive here).

[perry335654]

I think it is hard for us Americans to wrap our heads around the fact that the plethora of Havana's citizens and the people of Cuba have lived under the tutelage of a communist leader for more than 50 years. It would be a culture shock to travel to more developed countries like entering a time machine headed for the future.

[Slam4444]

First of all, Cubans don't just go the USA. I have family that left for Spain a few months ago. Many go to Italy, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, etc. If you don't like Cubans, move somewhere else?

[Ave Maria]

What a nightmare...

Time to leave Florida, these people are gonna drain all of our social services.

The US needs to lift that embargo and start treating the new arrivals as illegal aliens.

[OIF VET]

that makes no sense they automatically qualify for social benefits like welfare and food stamps, but i dont? I get out of the army and i apply for food stamps, knowing that unemploymnt wouldnt cover everything, besides i paid taxes and they stil denied me

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by Ave Maria

What a nightmare...

Time to leave Florida, these people are gonna drain all of our social services.

The US needs to lift that embargo and start treating the new arrivals as illegal aliens.

Have you ever thought once that maybe the Cubans here in Miami would want to go back to Cuba.