U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) received word of the official removal of Cuba from the U.S. State Sponsor of Terrorism list at the moment she was reviewing the history of the Tampa-based consulate with the former Tampa Cuban Consul, 90-year-old Raul Villamia. U.S. Rep. Castor pledged to him that she would work to return the consulate to Tampa.

“This important step forward will lift families and entrepreneurs on both sides of the Florida straits. I anticipate that the opening embassies is imminent. I was honored to share this historic moment with a man who has lived through so much of this history,” said U.S. Rep. Castor after she met today with Mr. Villamia, who served as the Cuban Consul in Tampa in 1959 at the time of change in Cuba, and his daughter, Rhonda Villamia, at U.S. Rep. Castor's district office in Tampa.

“Mr. Villamia expressed his desire to improve relations between the United States and Cuba and his hope that a new consulate would be opened in Tampa. Mr. Villamia, who said he never wanted to be a politician, just a baseball player, recalls that protestors after the revolution were good people and easy to calm. He said that if Tampa were to serve as a consulate city, people today would be respectful as well.”

The terrorism listing for Cuba was cited as a huge stumbling block for more meaningful engagement at a well-attended forum held earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Castor, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and Tampa International Airport. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker was the keynote speaker and stressed the importance of engagement. Local travel and trade experts shared experiences and hopes for renewed relations under a new legal framework.

U.S. Rep. Castor called for Cuba’s removal from the terrorism list in 2013 upon her return from a fact-finding visit to Cuba and discussions with families and experts. She relayed her recommendation in a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

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