Vol. 72/No. 29      July 21, 2008

On July 1, the judge allowed flights to continue while he considers travel agents’ arguments over whether they should be regulated by the state of Florida. The two sides will return to court July 11 for another hearing on the validity of the law, which was set to kick in July 1.

Attorney Ira Kurzban, whose firm is representing the travel agencies, called the ruling a victory against “an illegal and unconstitutional law designed to punish Cuban-American businesses and those wishing to travel to Cuba.”

A lawsuit was filed by 16 Miami-Dade based travel agencies against the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. It charges that the heightened requirements unfairly target agencies arranging trips to Cuba. Under the law, Florida agencies handling trips to Cuba or any other country Washington deems “terrorist” must pay the additional fees and bond. There are no direct flights from Florida to the other nations on the federal list—North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Iran.

The 16 agencies handled trips for about 100,000 people traveling to Cuba last year, according to Tessie Aral, president of ABC Charters Travel. Under current rules the agencies must report their business transactions to the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control and are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“What this bill is trying to do is essentially stop travel from Miami to Cuba,” said Armando García, president of Marazul Charters Travel.

The lawsuit states that the Florida measure violates the U.S. constitution on six grounds, including denying the travel agencies equal protection by “singling out Cuban-American business owners.”  
 
 
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