Cuban residents in Florida ask for support from boat owners to bring supplies to the island

(CNN Spanish) – A group of Cubans residing in the state of Florida collected water, canned food and other supplies this Monday in Pelican Bay, in the west of the state, with the intention of taking the supplies by boat to the protesters on the island.

Diana Parra arrived at the place with her son to support the call. His family is in Cuba and in a very emotional interview with WSVN, a CNN affiliate in Florida, he said that “it is time for communism to end on the island.”

Dennis Suayero is one of the organizers of the proposal and told WSVN that they want to bring medicines and supplies to the Cuban people.

Despite the amount of goods collected, only a few boats attended the call to transfer the supplies to Cuba. A torrential storm also complicated the mission.

Exon Rodríguez, another of the organizers, told CNN en Español that the initiative continues. “Boat owners is what we need. People who join the cause. That the Cuban people here, in the United States, understand that this is not a matter for the government. The US government is not going to do anything for us if we don’t do it first, ”he said.

Rodríguez explained that her son, mother and siblings remain in Cuba. “We want to be close, but the resources do not exist,” he said. That is why “I make the call again. I am calling on everyone who wants to fight to join, ”he added, while waiting for more boats to arrive this Tuesday to make the transfer of the collected goods possible.

In a statement issued Monday, the United States Coast Guard said that while it supports the right to protest and freedom of expression, it reminds those considering emigration of the dangers posed by maritime travel to Florida.

According to the statement, the Coast Guard works with local and federal authorities monitoring any maritime activity, including vessels leaving from Florida to Cuba.