The American and Cuban embassies have only been open a few weeks and Mayor Rick Kriseman is wasting no time trying to bring a consulate to St. Petersburg.
"Having a Cuban consulate would be a very good thing for us," said Mayor Kriseman.
Mayor Kriseman, Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin and City Council Chairman Charlie Gerdes were part of a small group visiting officials and residents in Havana.
Kriseman said the focus of the trip was fact finding and relationship building.
"We did not go with an expectation, as you do sometimes on trade missions, of coming home with signed contracts or agreements," he said.
The group did come back enlightened in many different ways.
"We have to create an environment of trust if anything is going to change in the relationship, and we can do that community by community," Gerdes said.
While an embargo is still in effect, the group says there are short-term goals to help build that trust.
The group points out there are opportunities for exchanges in areas such as arts, education, health care and technology.
"As normalization continues to move forward, which we hope it does, the opportunities for interactions from a business and economic standpoint will become more apparent," Kriseman said.