Leaders in Florida, across the country and around the world are reacting to talks between the United States and Cuba to restore diplomatic relations.


U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida)

Sen. Bill Nelson is expected in Orlando later Wednesday. Nelson's office released the following statement:

Stunning developments in U.S.-Cuba relations today brought both expressions of support and criticism from lawmakers in the nation's capital, among them Florida's senior U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

Among those expressing cautious optimism about the prospects of a broader thaw in relations between the U.S. and Cuba was Nelson, a long-time Castro regime critic, economic embargo supporter and vocal advocate for Gross's freedom.

"The success of this monumental development depends on Castro's willingness to grant basic democratic freedoms for the Cuban people," Nelson said.

Two years ago, Nelson met with Haitian President Michel Martelly just prior to Martelly visiting with Cuban President Raul Castro. Nelson asked Martelly to urge Castro to release Alan Gross.

Afterward, Martelly called Nelson to say he spoke with Castro, and that Castro indicated a willingness to talk with U.S. officials, which Nelson reported to the White House.

Asked today whether he would now favor the U.S. easing its five-decades-old economic embargo against the Communist island, Nelson said, "Let's see if Castro changes the behavior of a brutal police state and provides freedoms for the Cuban people."

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida)

Sen. Marco Rubio issued the following statement Wednesday:

“Today’s announcement initiating a dramatic change in U.S. policy toward Cuba is just the latest in a long line of failed attempts by President Obama to appease rogue regimes at all cost.

Like all Americans, I rejoice at the fact that Alan Gross will be able to return to his family after five years in captivity. Although he is supposedly being released on humanitarian grounds, his inclusion in a swap involving intelligence agents furthers the Cuban narrative about his work in Cuba. In contrast, the Cuban Five were spies operating against our nation on American soil. They were indicted and prosecuted in a court of law for the crimes of espionage and were linked to the murder of the humanitarian pilots of Brothers to the Rescue. There should be no equivalence between the two, and Gross should have been released unconditionally.

The President’s decision to reward the Castro regime and begin the path toward the normalization of relations with Cuba is inexplicable. Cuba’s record is clear. Just as when President Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, the Castro family still controls the country, the economy and all levers of power. This administration’s attempts to loosen restrictions on travel in recent years have only served to benefit the regime. While business interests seeking to line their pockets, aided by the editorial page of The New York Times, have begun a significant campaign to paper over the facts about the regime in Havana, the reality is clear. Cuba, like Syria, Iran, and Sudan, remains a state sponsor of terrorism. It continues to actively work with regimes like North Korea to illegally traffic weapons in our hemisphere in violation of several United Nations Security Council Resolutions. It colludes with America’s enemies, near and far, to threaten us and everything we hold dear. But most importantly, the regime’s brutal treatment of the Cuban people has continued unabated. Dissidents are harassed, imprisoned and even killed. Access to information is restricted and controlled by the regime. That is why even more than just putting U.S. national security at risk, President Obama is letting down the Cuban people, who still yearn to be free.

I intend to use my role as incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee to make every effort to block this dangerous and desperate attempt by the President to burnish his legacy at the Cuban people’s expense. Appeasing the Castro brothers will only cause other tyrants from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can take advantage of President Obama’s naiveté during his final two years in office. As a result, America will be less safe as a result of the President’s change in policy. When America is unwilling to advocate for individual liberty and freedom of political expression 90 miles from our shores, it represents a terrible setback for the hopes of all oppressed people around the globe.”

Rubio also told The Associated Press:

"This is going to do absolutely nothing to further human rights and democracy in Cuba, but it potentially goes a long way in providing the economic lift that the Castro regime needs to become permanent fixtures in Cuba for generations to come."

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R)

“Today’s release of Alan Gross from Cuban prison is long overdue, and I am relieved and pleased for him and his family. However, it is unconscionable for President Obama to hand over spies responsible for the murder of two U.S. citizens, especially since Mr. Gross should have never been incarcerated.

Time and time again, the Castro regime has chosen violence and suppression over freedom and democracy, and the Obama administration’s actions of appeasement to dictators diminish the United States’ role of being a beacon for democracy.

As long as Cuba chooses dictatorship over democracy, I will continue to support the embargo and sanctions against them.

President Obama is giving in to a tyrannical government that does not value human rights and completely disregards the people of Cuba who are fighting for democracy."

Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R)

“As a Cuban-American, I am disappointed by today’s actions from the Obama administration which set a dangerous precedent for rogue nations who know they can take American hostages at will.

I am relieved for Alan Gross and his family. However, Cuba has a brutal dictatorship and the Obama administration’s actions only legitimize their oppressive behavior and make it harder for the people of Cuba who are fighting for democracy.”

U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida, District 6)

Rep. Ron DeSantis from Florida's Sixth Congressional District — which includes Flagler and coastal Volusia County — and a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement Wednesday:

"Alan Gross was unjustly imprisoned by the Castro dictatorship and his return is long overdue. I am happy for him and his family. I am dismayed that, in exchange for the release of Gross, the Obama administration agreed to release imprisoned Cuban spies who conspired to kill Americans, as such an action legitimizes the Castro regime's coercive tactics. This prisoner swap sends a signal to rogue regimes and actors that taking an American hostage can be leveraged into scoring policy concessions. This makes America less safe and emboldens the dictatorship in Cuba.

Reports suggest that the Obama administration will also unilaterally relax sanctions on Cuba, even though 11 million Cubans still chafe under Castro's tyranny. The goal of U.S. policy should be to liberate these hostages from the oppressive Castro regime, not to reward the regime with relaxed sanctions."

Secretary of State John Kerry

"I was a seventeen year old kid watching on a black and white television set when I first heard an American President talk of Cuba as an 'imprisoned island.'

For five and a half decades since, our policy toward Cuba has remained virtually frozen, and done little to promote a prosperous, democratic and stable Cuba.  Not only has this policy failed to advance America's goals, it has actually isolated the United States instead of isolating Cuba.

Since 2009, President Obama has taken steps forward to change our relationship and improve the lives of the Cuban people by easing restrictions on remittances and family travel. With this new opening, the President has committed the United States to begin to chart an even more ambitious course forward. 

Beginning more than twenty years ago, I have seen firsthand as three presidents — one Republican and two Democrats — have undertaken a similar effort to change the United States' relationship with Vietnam. It wasn't easy. It isn't complete still today. But it had to start somewhere, and it has worked.

As we did with Vietnam, changing our relationship with Cuba will require an investment of time, energy and resources. Today's step also reflects our firm belief that the risk and the cost of trying to turn the tide is far lower than the risk and cost of remaining stuck in an ideological cement of our own making.

This new course will not be without challenges, but it is based not on a leap of faith but on a conviction that it's the best way to help bring freedom and opportunity to the Cuban people, and to promote America's national security interests in the Americas, including greater regional stability and economic opportunities for American businesses.

In January, as part of the President's directive to discuss moving toward re-establishment of diplomatic relations, my Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson will travel to Cuba to lead the U.S. Delegation to the next round of U.S.-Cuba Migration Talks.  I look forward to being the first Secretary of State in 60 years to visit Cuba.  At President Obama's request, I have also asked my team to initiate a review of Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

Going forward, a critical focus of our increased engagement will continue to be on improving the Cuban Government's respect for human rights and advocating for democratic reforms within Cuba. Promoting freedom of speech and entrepreneurship and an active civil society will only strengthen Cuban society and help to reintegrate Cuba into the international community."

Pope Francis

The Vatican released the following statement Wednesday following President Obama's announcement:

"The Holy Father wishes to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history.

In recent months, Pope Francis wrote letters to the President of the Republic of Cuba, His Excellency Mr. Raúl Castro, and the President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama, and invited them to resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations between the two Parties.

The Holy See received Delegations of the two countries in the Vatican last October and provided its good offices to facilitate a constructive dialogue on delicate matters, resulting in solutions acceptable to both Parties.

The Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the well-being of their respective citizens."