Why Hollywood and Businesses Flock To Miami Beach
Why Hollywood and Businesses Flock To Miami Beach
Hollywood has been flocking to South Florida for decades, some say because of the weather. Others say it's the tax incentives. But recently a new reason has surfaced that is causing businesses to flock: skilled labor from Cuba. When Fidel Castro banned immigration from Cuba in 1960, many people were forced to leave the country seeking refuge in America. However, since his death, more than 20 thousand have made their way back home with a new life and citizenship waiting for them in Miami Beach.
"There's been a tremendous increase in immigrants from Cuba coming to the United States over the last few years," said Arturo Rueda, with the Movimiento Cubano Democrático.
Rueda said he's seen a growing community of Cubans who have settled in Miami Beach. Many entrepreneurs are launching businesses and restaurants on Lincoln Road and beyond as more Cubans begin to set up shop. "I have two families that I know are from Cuba who opened up places and they're doing really well," Rueda added. "They don't speak Spanish, they speak only English but they're making money. I know of others who are doing well also. Many, many people are doing well in these businesses."
Rueda said that living in Miami Beach is very cheap, and Cubans like to save money when they have it.
"There's a lot of information out there about Miami being a good place to invest and make money on real estate," Rueda added. "Cubans want to invest in America because they believe it is a land of opportunities."
Rueda said that Cuban entrepreneurs often team up with native-born business people from the United States, convincing them to open up shop with the promise of bringing in more customers. Cuban entrepreneurs also get a lot of help from the Cuban-American community in South Florida.
"We're all very driven, we all have common goals and we all look out for each other," Rueda explained. "There are Cubans and there are other people too from Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina who move to South Florida to do business as well."
Corporate giants like Siemens have opened offices in Miami Beach as well. They've leased a new office complex on the island near Lincoln Road called the Agora Office Center . The deal is expected to create 1,200 jobs over the next two years.
In addition to businesses, major film studios are flocking to Miami Beach. The Key Biscayne Film Festival is set to take place next week. It's the first year the festival has been held on the island, and it will feature over 100 short and feature films from international independent filmmakers.
"I think it's a great location for us," said resident and festival founder Noelle Mandell. "The people that come here love Miami Beach; they love it because of the beach, they love the weather, they love everything about it. We've had a great reaction."
And some on South Beach aren't complaining either; business owners are welcoming more people with open arms as long as they keep coming back.
"Miami Beach is a place where all the people are friends," said Lori Brown, with the Miami Beach Carnival Association. "There's a lot of Cuban people that come and there's great immigrants from all over the world."
Brown, who runs a local boutique called Brown's Boutique with her husband, said that business is good on Lincoln Road at the moment. "I think more and more businesses realize that Miami Beach is perfect for them because it's not one of those places where you have to be inside in a box all day long," she added. "It's a beautiful place to be."
"I think that the more people that we have coming into this city, then the more Miami Beach becomes a destination," said Pat Reilly, with the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. "The more attractions we have in this city, the better off we are as far as business goes."
And with more and more business owners from around the globe flocking to South Florida every day, it seems like there will always be plenty of opportunities for new businesses to hit it big.
And with so many diverse cultures and backgrounds, many entrepreneurs say they're already well on their way. Ivan Suarez is one of them. His story is one of the most inspirational I have ever heard. He came to Miami from Cuba 30 years ago with nothing, and now he has a 7 figure business with over 200 employees from around the world. Learn more about how he was able to build his business in his own words by clicking here .
Posted by Naser Ali at 2:46 PM
What I found to be most interesting is that the article states that Cubans want to come here because they believe it is a land of opportunities. Now, even though this is true, there are many countries which are considered more stable and better off financially than the US yet there are still many people who immigrate because they believe it is a land of opportunities. I guess this is true for American society as well because the US has also proven to have a lot of opportunities. If you look around the world, there are definitely different countries which have proven to be better off financially than the US. The Middle East being one of them. Another great example is Canada. They are considered a more stable country and their economy has been very successful for many years now yet there are still tons of people moving there from all over the world to build better lives for themselves and their families. So, I think that it's important to understand that everyone makes different decisions based on their own personal reasons in life and they may not necessarily be based on reason. Posted by Hernan Vidal at 9:47 AM
I have never been to Cuba nor do I know anyone who has been there. But, I would not want to go there right now. At this point, the Cubans are being exploited for their hard work and forced to pay a huge tax on their money and what they make. In 2016, 6 million Cubans will get $1-2 USD per month or less in state pensions plus a little more from the government per month. This is what Cubans that aren't that lucky will get from the government of Cuba in 2016.
Conclusion: Cubans that are fortunate enough to get a government job will get paid $20-30/month. The average Cuban worker will make about $2/day. The US gives Cubans and other Latinos a pension that is worth more than that. It seems to me that in 2014, Cubans would be better off working in another country than staying at home and working for the government of Cuba.
Posted by Naser Ali at 3:49 PM
I want to let you know, gabriel, I really appreciate your comments as they really help me out a lot. Believe it or not, there are thousands of people like me who have nothing to loose and everything to gain staying in America when this administration takes power.