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Posted on Wed, Sep. 11, 2002 in
The Broward Herald.
PENSACOLA - (AP) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro invited officials from this
Florida Panhandle city to an unexpected six-hour lunch. The officials were on a
trade mission to Cuba aimed at drumming up business for the city's port.
Castro was ''cordial and attentive'' and particularly interested in the
Florida Panhandle's agriculture, asking questions about crops, soil and
rainfall, said state Rep. Jerry Maygarden, R-Pensacola.
Maygarden, a former mayor, was part of the delegation last week trying to
revive longstanding trade ties between Cuba and Pensacola that were broken after
the communist revolution Castro led in the late 1950s. The lunch Saturday capped
a four-day visit.
''Overall, it was one of those really rare moments that I wouldn't ever want
to miss,'' Maygarden said. ``Obviously, we would have a lot of political
differences, but as far as world figures go, he's been on that stage a long
time.''
The United States partly lifted its 1960 trade embargo on Cuba last year
after Hurricane Michelle devastated the island nation.
That opened the way for shipments of food, medical supplies and other
humanitarian goods.
Port director Chuck Porter said Pensacola can offer Cuba attractive shipping
prices because it is only about 45 minutes from deep water. He said it can take
ships longer to reach deep water from some other U.S. ports on the Gulf Coast.
The Pensacola group met with about 15 Cuban agencies and plans to keep in
regular contact. Porter also will lead a group of port officials to a trade show
in Havana later this month. | 
