Following a similar move by Hialeah, Miami officials approved a task force Thursday to review local businesses for possible ties to the Cuban government.
Miami Commissioner Ralph Rosado welcomed the decision, saying the newly approved task force will help the city “ensure together that all our local businesses in the City of Miami are acting according to state and federal laws and are not assisting Cuba’s communist government.”
Rosado added that “any companies that are acting illegally, inappropriately, and assisting Cuba’s government are running the risk of being shut down.”
He later emphasized the historical context behind the initiative, stating that “our parents and grandparents did not flee dictatorships for us to be supporting those governments from abroad.”
City Commissioner Rolando Escalona said the mission of the task force is to urge the Miami-Dade Tax Collector “to review all the businesses that do business with Cuba and make sure that they comply with the law.”
The initiative appeared on the City Commission meeting agenda under the title “Cuban Government Task Force.” According to the item, the measure seeks to “establish a task force led by the Office of the Inspector General to review business licenses with possible ties to the Cuban government.”
“If they don’t, the tax collector will remove the license and we will do so as well,” Escalona added.
Hialeah’s Cuba Business Advisory Task Force (CUBAT)
The newly approved task force mirrors the Cuba Business Advisory Task Force (CUBAT) created in Hialeah through one of three executive orders signed by newly elected Mayor Bryan Calvo.
According to the Hialeah mayor, affected businesses will be required to submit all necessary documentation and federal permits to continue operating.
“It would involve the export and import of products, but it is not limited to that,” Calvo said.
