Rick Scott to Sign Anti-Castro Business Bill at Freedom Tower

Gov. Rick Scott is heading to the Freedom Tower in Miami Tuesday where he is expected to sign a bill that aims to punish companies doing business with Castros Cuba.

House Bill 959 would prohibit Florida and governments in the Sunshine State from contracting or maintaining contracts of $1 million or more with companies that are also dealing with the governments in Cuba and Syria --two countries the U.S. State Department has classified as state sponsors of terrorism.

The bill was strongly sponsored by South Florida Republicans and only a single legislator --Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami -- voted against the proposal.

Scott told a Spanish-language radio station in Miami on Friday that he would sign the bill and Scotts schedule for Tuesday has him holding a bill-signing ceremony at 11 a.m.

Scott is scheduled to appear on Univision Radio WQBA 1140 AM and Radio Mambi 710 AM prior to the bill signing.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has questioning the constitutionality of the bill and expressed that the effort could hurt the state economically with two of its larger trading partners, Canada and Brazil.

A prime target of the bill is apparently Coral Gables-based Odebrecht USA, an affiliate of the Brazilian company Odebrecht. Last year, Odebrecht USA won a highly publicized $57 million contract to strengthen cargo wharves in the Port of Miami. Meanwhile, another branch of the company performs work in Cuba.