ISSUES: Carnival Cuba Cruise Controversy

As relations between Cuba and the U.S. continue on a path towards normalization, Carnival Cruise Lines announced trips to the island beginning May 1st – but, there’s one problem. According to Cold-War era law, Cuban-born Americans cannot visit their homeland by sea. This has caused uproar among South Florida’s Cuban-American population, including Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who has called this a “violation of the county’s human rights policy”, and is urging the Carnival Corporation to cancel these planned voyages to Cuba. Additionally, a federal class action lawsuit against the cruise line has been filed, for violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act – which a carnival spokesman calls “without merit or substance”. We discuss this lawsuit with the attorneys for the plaintiffs and whether Carnival may be in violation of its lease with PortMiami.

Guests:

Javier A. Lopez, Esq., Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, LLP
Robert W. Rodriguez, Esq., Robert W. Rodriguez, P.A.