A new poll shows Florida is behind lowering sanctions with Cuba. St. Leo University released a poll on Thursday showing a majority of Floridian s- -63 percent -- support easing restrictions on Cuba while 16 percent want the current sanctions to stay in place and 9 percent call for ending all trade with that communist nation.
Most Floridians -- 58 -- percent support cruise and ferry service with Cuba while 30 percent oppose the idea. Interestingly, only 38 percent of those surveyed say they would be open to going to Cuba via ferry or visiting it on a cruise, while 54 percent say they have no interest in either.
Peter Marian, who teaches international hospitality and tourism at St. Leo University, expressed doubt as to whether Cuba was ready for major tourism.
“Can they handle an influx of visitors including cruise ships with 3,000 people getting off at the same time and expecting island excursions, lodging, transportation, safety, and can they provide positive dining experiences for all?” Marian asked, adding Cuba should be ready in a decade for that kind of tourism.
The poll also shows support for Pope Francis’ efforts in that nation. The pope met with Cuban strongman Raul Castro at the Vatican last month and is scheduled to visit Cuba in September when he will also visit the U.S.
Most Floridians -- 60 percent -- approve of the pope meeting Castro while 21 percent disapprove. An overwhelming majority of Floridians -- 75 percent -- approve of Pope Francis visiting Cuba later this year while only 18 percent disapprove.
Michael Anthony Novak teaches theology at Saint Leo University and mulled over the poll numbers.
“I couldn’t help noticing that respondents felt a little more strongly in favor of Pope Francis traveling to Cuba than they did for his simply meeting with Raul Castro,” Novak said. “That might suggest that people feel strongly about the power of papal ‘activism’ in visits to troubled locations. It was one of the most striking features of John Paul II's papacy that his presence helped Eastern Europe's transition from Communism. Pope Francis in Cuba -- a Latin American Pope in a Latin American country -- could carry all the spiritual weight that John Paul II did in his native Poland.”
The St. Leo poll of 535 Floridians was taken from May 25-31 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
