Insulted Puerto Ricans Slam CNN, Republican Candidates – Fox News Latino

Puerto Ricans, the second largest voter group among Hispanics in the US, are “outraged” and “insulted” at CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and the Republican candidates for their “disrespectful” handling of a question centered around the longstanding issue of Puerto Rico’s statehood and independence.

During the live broadcast of the Jacksonville debate, audience members attending the Hispanic Leadership Network Conference, a center right advocacy organization in Miami, were given a chance to ask questions to the candidates. That’s when Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder, the Republican president and CEO of the Puerto Rican Chamber of [Commerce] of Florida, asked the GOP candidates where they stood on the issue of the island’s statehood.

The answer, or lack thereof, she received on national television sent her and a group of about five Puerto Ricans packing early as they stormed out of the CNN sponsored Watch Party mid-debate.

Twitpic via RT @jaxdotcom CNN is at UNF; no Wolf Blitzer yet though

The next day (Jan. 27th), GOP candidates former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney addressed the conference. Gingrich noted the question of Puerto Rico’s statehood was “one that unfortunately was not covered very well last night and I regret that Wolf Blitzer did not turn and ask the rest of us.”

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich Pressed on Puerto Rico Statehood in South Florida — ABC News

“I have had a firm position on the right of the Puerto Rican people to have a referendum,” Gingrich said to applause. “I am not dictating the outcome of the referendum because there are several options and the Puerto Rican people have to make that decision.”

Romney, speaking an hour later, backed the idea of statehood:

“I think it’s in November you’re having a referendum and I expect the people of Puerto Rico will decide that they want to become a state and I can tell you that I will work with [Puerto Rico Gov. Luis] Fortuno to make sure that if that vote comes out in favor of statehood, that we will go through the process in Washington to provide statehood to Puerto Rico.”

It should be noted that Romney’s remarks went beyond what he said to Univision’s Jorge Ramos on Wednesday, “my choice is to let them make their choice.”

Fortuno endorsed Romney in Cape Canaveral on Friday evening.

Lesson learned

Cuevas-Neunder made a good point on Thursday when she said the candidates knew more about going to the moon then they did about Puerto Rican statehood.  And personally, I think Wolf Blizter should have better prepared for questions from the Hispanic Leadership Network. Surely he knew there would be no questions about the moon from Miami.

Blitzer, however, earned cheers and social media shout-outs when he described UNF as “beautiful” and “fabulous” just before the candidates faced off. CNN anchor Erin Burnett also praised the “beautiful campus” and UNF’s growing global logistics training program. She said Jacksonville International Airport “is what I think might be America’s best airport.”

CNN anchor raves about JIA, UNF and city after debate  – Florida Times-Union

Watch this clip from Erin Burnett’s OutFront on Friday night. She segues from her love of the airport to 44,000 – the number of Northeast Floridians employed in the distribution industry.

THE NUMBER: OutFront in Jacksonville

“Did you know 90 percent of Coach Handbags are shipped through Jacksonville?”

No, Erin. But thanks for telling me. 

I had not heard the rumor that Toronto was a relocation possibility, just the Los Angeles rumor. But NBC Sports.com’s “Latest News and Rumors” blog said on Wednesday, “If the Jaguars move, it may not be a foregone conclusion that they move to Los Angeles. There’s a chance they’ll move to St. Louis, with the Rams returning to L.A.”   According to CBSsports.com, Khan had made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Rams in 2010, which may explain the NBC Sports.com rumor.

Jaguars majority owner Wayne Weaver announced Tuesday he is selling the team to businessman Shahid Khan. via msnbc.com

Here in Jacksonville this morning, though, Timothy Gibbons (Florida Times-Union) said, “If the Jacksonville Jaguars’ prospective new owner wants to move the team to a new city before 2030, he’d have to pay the city millions of dollars to get out of its lease for EverBank Field.”  Gibbons is also a University of North Florida adjunct professor whom I took a journalism course through, so I trust him to do his homework.  Here’s a link to his explanatory story, within which is a link to the city’s stadium lease (opens on scribd.com)

To be clear, Shahid Khan, who is buying the Jaguars from Wayne Weaver, has said nothing about moving the team. Weaver said Tuesday he wouldn’t take calls from suitors wanting to move the Jaguars and that Khan won’t do that.

The sales agreement, which according to Forbes is worth $760 million, doesn’t bind Khan to the city. Still, “there’s not a doubt in my mind this team is going to stay in Jacksonville,” Weaver said Tuesday.

That aside, Shahid Khan (who is NOT moving the Jaguars to Los Angeles) also owns Urbana, Ill.-based Flex-N-Gate Corp. I had not heard of the company, but I don’t know much about automotive-product engineering and manufacturing, so I’m not that surprised. Flex-N-Gate is a private corp., employing over 12,450 people at 48 manufacturing and nine product development and engineering facilities throughout Canada, the U. S., Mexico, Argentina, and Spain.

Flex-N-Gate’s Canadian presence may explain the “resurrected rumblings” of the teams move to Toronto.  According to its website, it  has 11 manufacturing and assembly plants in Ontario.  In the U.S., the company has similar operations across eight states, primarily in Michigan.  Closest to Jacksonville is its 125,000 square-foot facility in Alabama. Personally, I think Flex-N-Gate should move its Alabama facility to AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center. 

TEALgate party festivities begin in and around the staduim at 5:30 pm.

Among the points Mayor Alvin Brown expressed in a Nov. 29th “Welcome to Jacksonville” letter to Mr. Khan has been his intensive concentration on economic development since taking office in July.

Understanding the importance of teams like the Jaguars for our city’s ability to recruit new business, I am creating a Sports and Entertainment Director who will have a direct line of communication into the Mayor’s office.

And on that note, Mayor Brown has proclaimed Mon., Dec. 5th as “Ultimate TEALgate Day” in support of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers.  

♣♣♣♣♣

Home page photo credit:

RICK WILSON/The Times-Union–1/12/10–Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver addresses the media in a press conference to announce that he has retained Jack Del Rio as the head coach Tuesday afternoon  January 12, 2010 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Fl. (The Florida Times-Union, Rick Wilson)

From left: Ted Henderson, CEVA Logistics; Kathy Wilkins, Alliance Operating Services; Deborah Lofberg, JaxPort ; Donnie Barnes, Barnes Consulting, Scott Taylor, Miller and Co.; Steve Boecking, Hillwood Properties. Photo via Jaxport

At the risk of being called a ‘name-dropper’, I’ll list the experts on the agenda and their presentation topic:

• Scott Taylor, Esq.,  Miller and Co. (Kansas City, Mo.)  FTZ Overview: Legal Definitions; Federal Regulations; Compliance and Oversight; Alternative Site Framework

• Kathy Wilkins, V.P., Alliance Operating Services (Southlake, Texas) FTZ Benefits: Cost-Benefits Analysis

• Ted Henderson, Senior V.P., CEVA Logistics (Houston, Texas) FTZ in the Logistics Industry.

• Donnie Barnes, V.P. & CEO, Barnes Consulting LLC (Moore, S.C.) FTZ Case Study: Manufacturing in FTZ’s.

• Steve Boecking, V.P., Hillwood Properties (Forth Worth, Texas) FTZ as Regional Economic Drivers

Raul Alfonso [JaxPort's Sr. Director, Marketing and Global Trade] opened the workshop with a welcome and JaxPort overview.  He presented the “Regional Strategy for Jacksonville’s Global Gateway” building on JaxPort as the anchor for the newly designated nine-county FTZ customs district of NorthEast Florida.

Norfolk Southern, Jacksonville Drawbridge PHOTO: Echlok Aug 3rd, 2011

The “Global Gateway”  is a diversified cargo distribution network well-positioned to compete with the ports at Savannah and Charleston.  Let’s start with …

• Truck transit: 60 percent of the U.S. population can be reached from Jacksonville (America’s Logistics Center) within 24-hours.  

• Intermodal: Over 36 daily trains connect JaxPort to the U.S. market via CSX, Norfolk Southern Rail and Florida East Coast.

• Expanding distribution centers: There is abundant square footage available for company expansion in the region’s many industrial parks.

Each of the counties in the FTZ customs region will establish a “magnet”  site.  AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center, has the designation for Duval county.

Steve Boecking  of Hillwood Properties gave an overview of AllianceTexas.  The “economic engine to North Texas” is huge. Over 22 years after the property began development, it now employs 30,000 on 17,000 acres with a $38.5 billion economic impact. Over 50 Fortune 500 (and such) companies have invested $7.3 billion in AllianceTexas.

And this wraps up the FTZ workshop. The Global Gateway is on track to becoming an economic engine in Northeast Florida!

Anyway, Jeff Price is also my buddy at the Florida Times-Union, which was a surprise to both of us  because we both have mysterious pen names. Jeff is named Scene from Florida. He claims, “I run my own biz when I’m not on the clock at JAXPORT.”

So back to JAXPORT IN THE NEWS:

[one] The following is actually from an invitation to a luncheon commerating:

” A HISTORIC EVENT!!!The Puerto Rico Chamber of Northeast Florida and the Jacksonville Sister Cities Association [announced Monday, August 24th]

Cordially invite you to attend and be a sponsor at the luncheon commemorating the signing of an international Sisters Cities agreement between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Jacksonville, Fla.

The Honorable Mayor Jorge Santini and The Honorable Mayor John Peyton October 2, 2009 – From 11:30am – 1:30pm OMNI HOTEL – 245 Water St., Jacksonville, FL 32202

Via PRCNF:

Puerto Rico is Jacksonville’s largest trading partner.  The Port of Jacksonville handles over 75% of the U.S. marine traffic to Puerto Rico.  The economic impact on our community delivers revenues to Jacksonville of over $1 billion dollars annually. The twinning of these two cities will serve to further increase Jacksonville’s economy, increase tourism and open DIRECT FLIGHTS from Jacksonville to San Juan.

Flag of Puerto Rico

[Jacksonville Sister Cities:  Bahia Blanca, Argentina; Curitiba, Brazil; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Nantes, France; Murmansk, Russia; Yingkao, China; Mason, South Korea]

[two] Via Cargonews Asia: The ka-ching of Cash for Clunkers is being heard at the Southeast Toyota Distributors processing centre at the Port of Jacksonville, the Florida Times-Union reported. The sound is still more of a rustle than a roar. But Southeast Toyota, which shrunk its workforce to deal with a brutal downturn in business, expects the second half of 2009 will be busier than the first six months.

[three] Any word on Carnival? @jaxport Isn’t the port having a FASCINATION networking party soon – sometime in Sept., I thought. @flipsideflorida While JAXPORT isn’t organizing any events, two groups have reserved the terminal for meetings: CSCMP on 9/8, IVC on 9/17 .

[four] JAXPORT CEO Rick Ferrin accepts a certificate of appreciation from Capt. Tuohy/Jax Council-Navy League/ after port speech. >>>twitpic<<<

[last] Via JAXPORT news & notes:  UNF’s Small Business Development Center is offering a six-part International Trade Certificate Program for small businesses interested in international exporting. In 2008, this program was quite helpful for Heavy Equipment Resources of Florida Co., who began exporting agricultural equipment in containers through JAXPORT after completing the program.

The End

TWITTER UPDATE:    via @milleratcrowley

Crowley delivers for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) New Electrical transformers to benefit island residents

(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico.; Aug. 28, 2009) Crowley has safely and successfully transported one of seven new electrical transformers slated for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The transformer arrived on the island Tuesday, following its journey from Mumbai, India to the U.S. mainland. The transformer will be installed at the Buen Pastor electric sub-station to provide improved electric service to island residents.

Read on!

]]> http://www.flipsideflorida.com/san-juan-es-la-ciudad-hermana-de-nuevos/feed/ 3 http://www.flipsideflorida.com/brazil-jacksonville-alliance-june-2009/ http://www.flipsideflorida.com/brazil-jacksonville-alliance-june-2009/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:33:54 +0000 k. a. gardner http://www.flipsideflorida.com/?p=939 Under discussion at the June 26, 2009 general meeting of the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance were the status of Workforce Florida training grant and upcoming trade mission to Jacksonville’s most recent sister city designation – Curitiba, Brazil.

The $50,000 $55,000 Workforce Florida grant was awarded to the Alliance in February. JAXPORT’s manager of community outreach and environmental advocacy, Joanne Kazmierski, updated current status:

Curitiba~

We will train 100 people representing corporations, small businesses and entrepreneurs in preparation for business and cultural relations with Curitaba. The classes will be held at University of North Florida.   The Alliance will hire  ISD [Instructional Systems Design] curriculum writers, keeping the cost between $10,000-$20,000. Lake City Community College will assist in the process. This will be a 20-hour course. There will be focus-group meetings with local corporations to determine educational needs  for classes.  Small-business classes  start this fall – dates are to be determined. Once classes are over,  Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance members will network with the class participants. Questions about training to be addressed to Joshua Rodriggs, manager of Latin American and Intermodal sales, or Joanne Kazmierski.

A job-posting forum will be developed on the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance Web site  for members-only to post  resumes and/or job descriptions to promote business between members and non-members in need of qualified a Brazilian workforce.

Rodriggs reported status of the first Brazilian trade mission meeting with Lad Daniels, president of First Coast Manufacturers Association. The power- point presentation for the trade mission has  been presented to Mayor Peyton, which he approved. Daniels is working with Mayor Peyton’s office and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce to coordinate  dates  for the trip -  possibly October.

In closing, the Alliance currently has  a $3,000  bank account. Over $800  will be used to finalize donations to Brazil.

Rodriggs and  Kasmierski will speak to Mayo Clinic about sending one of  Mayo Clinic’s physicians to Brazil with this donation money for pro bono surgeries on children in need.

JULY 16TH — MARK SZAKONYI HAS AN UPDATE :

The head of a trade group devoted to stimulating trade between Jacksonville and Brazil has left the Jacksonville Port Authority to focus on the organization.

Joshua Rodriggs said he will now be able to devote more time developing business and trade opportunities through Jacksonville and the booming South American country through the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance of Northeast Florida.

The alliance has ramped up its efforts in recent months. The alliance helped host the signing of a sister cities agreement with Jacksonville and Curitiba, Brazil. The group was also recently awarded a $55,000 grant from Workforce Florida.

The alliance has partnered with the Florida Banner Center for Logistics and Distribution, University of North Florida and Florida State College to develop curriculum and train 100 businesses in 2010. The group has also gained financial support from major companies, including Holland & Knight LLC, CSX Corp., Mayo Clinic and ICS Logistics Inc.

To find out more about the alliance’s entrepreneurship. business training and networking events, and trade missions, contact Rodriggs at (904) 703-2200 or at jrbrjax@gmail.com

The alliance’s annual meeting will be held 11:30 to 1 p.m. Aug 14 at Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Cornerstone Division office, 3rd Floor Hadlow Board Room. RSVP your attendance to info@braziljacksonville.org

Categories: Education

Companies: Holland & Knight, University of North Florida, Florida Banner Center, Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance, Jacksonville Port Authority, CSX Corp., Mayo Clinic and ICS Logistics Inc., Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce