Heads of the Caribbean Consular Corp in Florida held discussions with Florida Governor, Jeb Bush at the Tallahassee State Capital last Wednesday where they addressed issues concerning the Caribbean Diaspora in Florida.
Led by Jamaica’s Consul General, Ricardo Allicock, who is also chair of the Caribbean Consular Corp team of Consuls General in this region, the team focused on areas of mutual benefit to both regions as well as developing new areas of common interest.
Among the topics discussed were those relating to trade, law enforcement, technical assistance in agriculture and tourism, and the impact of the growing Caribbean community on Florida.
The team of Consuls enlightened the Governor on the impact of the Caribbean Diaspora on Florida’s economic development through involvement in private and public sectors in the various communities in which Caribbean migrants resided. The team discussed ways in which trade between both regions could be enhanced by creating new markets. This encouraging trend resulted from the impact of the ‘taste of the Caribbean’ and indigenous products out of that region.
According to Mr. Allicock, with the increasing migrant community from the Caribbean, “so too does the demand out of the region increases.” Foreign companies with an interest in outsourcing were encouraged by the Consul team to look more seriously at doing business with the Caribbean region.
Consul General Allicock expressed gratitude to the Governor for assistance in law enforcement cooperation in the region, particularly in light of recent agreements from international agencies with participating areas which also included Florida. Some of these agreements were initiated under the Building Bridges Program under former US Ambassador to Jamaica, Mrs. Sue Cobb.
State Attorney General, Charley Crist who was a part of this meeting assured the team that all police agencies across the State were reminded to comply with the Consular Notification system as denoted under the Vienna Convention. Under this guideline, the relevant Consulate must be notified within 24 hours with the arrest of any of its nationals.
In light of the growing migrant community, the team of Consuls also expressed the desire for the hiring of more Caribbean nationalities in the legal profession statewide, particularly in growing Caribbean neighborhoods. This would enable a better understanding and clarity in culture and representation. The group also addressed ways in which the Caribbean islands could benefit from technical assistance in agriculture in basic commodities.
Pointing to tourism, it was also expressed that both areas stand to benefit from that industry. They also indicated the Caribbean region’s ability to accommodate tourism with almost 50% of cruise ship berths worldwide located in the region, while much of the cruises originated out of Florida.
