{
  "id": 11302104,
  "title": "The wealthy Cuban Americans ready and waiting for Havana to fall",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/the-wealthy-cuban-americans-ready-and-waiting-for-havana-to-fall",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T23:00:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckrerylrlg9vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the opulent residence of a prominent Miami-based plastic surgeon, overlooking the Biscayne Bay, a gathering of some of the wealthiest Cuban-American families in the state is underway. They have convened for the fourth meeting of the newly established Cuban-American National Chamber of Commerce (CANCC), a body aimed at shaping Cuba's future. Launched by CANCC President Juan Omar Sixto, the event serves as a platform for Miami's elite Cuban-American entrepreneurs to discuss the dire economic situation on the island and to forge connections with potential collaborators in the post-Communist era.\n\nSixto and his guests are filled with optimism, convinced that Cuba's imminent collapse is within reach. The exiles' disdain for the Communist regime, established by Fidel Castro in 1959, has long fueled their political and economic influence in Florida. As a result, they have been instrumental in shaping Washington's policies towards Cuba. For Sixto, who fled Cuba as a teenager and now serves as a real estate developer in his 80s, the CANCC has drafted a plan for Cuba's \"day after,\" including the creation of a Cuban Stock Exchange and committees addressing energy infrastructure and food security.\n\nSixto insists that the current US administration, particularly the Trump administration's push for total change on the island, is driving these plans forward. He asserts that the CANCC has high-profile contacts, including individuals close to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The attendees at the CANCC meeting dismiss the recent economic liberalisation measures as superficial, arguing that they offer no meaningful guarantees to investors. The Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, recently announced 176 economic reforms aimed at advancing the defence of socialism and social justice, but the CANCC members remain skeptical and unwilling to invest in Cuba under the current regime.\n\nWhile some analysts question the premature nature of these planning meetings, the high expectations set by the US administration regarding a rapid change in Cuba remain unfulfilled. Mike Bustamante, an associate professor of history at the University of Miami, attributes this to the Trump administration's limited appetite for foreign interventions, particularly with the country currently embroiled in the Iran conflict. Bustamante argues that without significant foreign pressure and a genuine political inflection point, it is unlikely that the US will escalate its anti-Cuba stance further.\n\nCuban-American agricultural expert Hugo Orizondo, participating in the CANCC meeting, acknowledges the irony of wealthy exiles planning Cuba's reconstruction while the US embargo and fuel blockade continue to exacerbate the island's hardships. Orizondo emphasizes the potential for investment in Cuba but also recognizes the reservations of Cuban citizens who are wary of foreign investors seizing control of arable land. Despite these concerns, Orizondo contends that investors bring much-needed money and technology, which Cuba urgently needs to feed its population and reduce its reliance on food imports.",
  "summary": "Cuban exiles in Florida are increasingly hopeful that regime change in Cuba is now on the horizon.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}