Some of the wealthiest Cuban-American families in Florida gathered last week in a mansion in Miami to plan their return to Cuba as investors, convinced that the fall of the regime is imminent.
The meeting was the fourth session of the Cuban-American National Chamber of Commerce (CANCC), an organization established in June of this year by exile entrepreneurs with a declared purpose: to be ready to operate in the island from the very first day after the end of the dictatorship.
The event, documented by the BBC, took place at the residence of one of the most renowned plastic surgeons in Miami, overlooking Biscayne Bay. Among the attendees were historic surnames of the Cuban community in exile, such as Bacardí and Babún.
Juan Omar Sixto, president of the CANCC and real estate entrepreneur of over 80 years who left Cuba as a teenager, was straightforward in presenting the group's mission: «The goal is to be in Cuba once the regime falls».
Sixto assured that the organization has support from high-level circles in Washington, including close contacts with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. «Together with the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical supplies, we would immediately start doing business in Cuba», he stated.
The CANCC has made progress on a concrete agenda: it developed a proposal to create a Stock Exchange in Havana and established specialized committees in energy infrastructure and food security.
The plan also includes claims for ownership of property seized since 1959. Sixto himself recounted that his father lost five properties and a farm in Pinar del Río following the so-called "revolution."
"I worked on that farm for five years of my life with my father, and they took it away from me. I want compensation or restitution. Even if they give me just a small part, I will accept it," he said. "It's a matter of moral justice," he added.
In the same vein, Nicolás Gutiérrez, president of the National Association of Sugar Mill Owners of Cuba in exile, was emphatic: «The majority of our sugar mills have been dismantled, but we will reclaim those lands and put them back into production». Gutiérrez noted that the reconversion could be directed towards ethanol, cogeneration, or solar energy.
The agricultural expert Hugo Orizondo acknowledged the current limitations: «Right now, Cuba is like a black hole; we don’t know what’s happening there. But we do know its potential for investment».
The planning for exile in a post-communist Cuba has decades of history, but its proponents insist that the current context is different.
The Trump administration is implementing a maximum pressure policy on the island: since January, secondary sanctions on oil supply have worsened an energy crisis that has already resulted in several nationwide blackouts this year. Restoring Cuba's deteriorated electric grid would require between 8,000 and 10,000 million dollars, according to estimates cited by the BBC.
The regime, for its part, responded to the pressure with a package of 176 economic liberalization measures that, according to Díaz-Canel, aim to "promote the defense of socialism, support, and expand social justice." Members of the CANCC dismiss them as insufficient and lacking real guarantees for investors.
Not everyone shares the optimism of the exile. Mike Bustamante, associate professor of History at the University of Miami, warns that expectations for imminent change have been tempered.
"At this moment, the extremely high expectations created by the U.S. government that a sort of 'day after' would soon arrive, or that Cuba 'would be next,' have been postponed," he noted, referring to the war with Iran and the midterm elections scheduled for November.
While the businesspeople in exile debated their plans, the reality on the island presented a stark contrast: just hours after the meeting concluded, Cuba experienced another nationwide blackout. Most Cubans, faced with shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine, are simply hoping that their situation will improve soon.
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