SUIT FILED AGAINST FLORID BY CUBAN-AM BUSINESS OWNERS PROVIDING FEDERALLY LICENSED TRAVEL

[magbana]

CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT FILED
AGAINST STATE OF FLORIDA
BY CUBAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNERS
PROVIDING FEDERALLY LICENSED
TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES TO CUBA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR DAYBOOK PLEASE

Contacts: Ira Kurzban, Esq. or Steven Weinger, Esq. or Helena
Tetzeli, Esq. at [phone]

Asking the Federal Courts to enjoin the new "Florida Sellers of
Travel Act", a group of agencies and charter companies that offer
legal travel-related services to Cuba will file a complaint on
Monday, June 30, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District
of Florida. The Defendant is Charles Bronson, the Commission of the
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the State of
Florida. A press conference to announce the action has been scheduled
for that date at 2:30 p.m. at the offices of Kurzban Kurzban Weinger
& Tetzeli, 2650 SW 27th Ave - Second Floor, in Miami, Florida.

"This is not an anti-terrorism bill, what it does is stop travel from
Miami to Cuba, make it harder for people to exercise their right to
choose to legally see family in Cuba, and involve the state in
foreign policy, an area that should be governed by the federal
government," said Armando Garcia, a plaintiff in the case and
president of Miami-based Marazul Charters.

The new law will not allow many of the plaintiffs to continue to
operate or provide services to the public and their customers if the
Travel Act is enforced. Plaintiffs and other Florida companies
offering travel related services to Cuba will be subject to harsh
penalties and other requirements which make it more difficult and
expensive for Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba or send humanitarian
aid to family in Cuba. The new law significantly increases
registration fees, security bonds, potential fines and civil,
administrative and criminal penalties for firms licensed to provide
these services under federal law. The Act also interferes with the
United States government's foreign policy in an area it already
heavily regulates.

Steven Weinger, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, stated, "It is
unfortunate that certain State of Florida legislators have decided to
waste taxpayer funds to further their own goal of preventing and
hindering Cuban-Americans who desire to visit their families in Cuba.
State officials who don't agree with the federal foreign policy have
no right to interfere with these policies. One would think that, in
addition to following the law, these officials would prefer to
encourage local businesses and increase the tax base in Florida, not
send travelers to other states and other countries just to pander to
a small minority of voters in South Florida. In any event, these
state officials cannot declare war on a foreign country and cannot
set international policy. All the Florida officials can do is pass
illegal legislation that will cost the State of Florida money,
embarrass the State, and be ruled unlawful. As in past cases
involving similar conduct by County and City officials, we look
forward to a prompt and decisive victory and a substantial award of
legal fees payable from the State of Florida treasury."

Plaintiffs in the case, who provide services to Cuban-Americans
visiting family in Cuba, as well as to journalists, scholars, and
researchers legally traveling to Cuba, are ABC CHARTERS, INC.,
MARAZUL CHARTERS, INC., XAEL CHARTERS, INC., DAMUJI SERVICES INC.,
COSTA CUBA, INC., a CUBA TRAVEL SERVICES, INC., CELIMAR TRAVEL
SERVICES, INC., PARADISE INTERNATIONAL INC., COJIMAR EXPRESS
SERVICES, INC., MI TIERRAMERICA TRAVEL, INC., CUBA EXPRESS, INC.,
CUBAMERICA IMMIGRATION SERVICES CORP., HAVANA EXPRESS, INC., WILSON
INTERNATIONAL SERVICES, INC., TELLEZ'S TOUR AND TRAVEL AGENCY, INC.

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WALTER LIPPMANN
Los Angeles, California
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraíso bajo el bloqueo"
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