{"id":211357,"date":"2026-03-30T06:55:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T06:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/211357\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T06:55:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T06:55:18","slug":"tampas-cuban-community-rallies-for-freedom-and-change-at-al-lopez-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/211357\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa’s Cuban community rallies for freedom and change at Al Lopez Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Dozens of Cuban Americans and supporters gathered at Al Lopez Park in Tampa on Saturday, calling for change and freedom for Cuba after decades of oppression.<\/p>\n

“We want freedom for Cuba,” Maria Deville said.<\/p>\n

WATCH: Tampa’s Cuban community rallies at Al Lopez Park to demand freedom and an end to the island’s regime<\/p>\n

Cubans and supporters rally in Tampa calling for change on the island<\/p>\n

Demonstrators waved Cuban flags, chanted, and stopped traffic at the intersection of Himes Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway. Tampa police were on the scene to guide traffic and keep the peace.<\/p>\n

With a large Cuban community in Tampa, many attendees pointed to President Trump’s administration and talks of taking down the Cuban regime. Demonstrators noted the tough sanctions applied to nations like Venezuela and said they want that same pressure placed on Cuba.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Spanish, Roberto Pizano expressed his frustration.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re still here, fighting for Cuba\u2019s freedom after 67 years of one of the worst tyrannies in the Americas,” Pizano said.<\/p>\n

\"cuba<\/p>\n

WFTS<\/p>\n

Many chanted, “Cuba Next, Cuba Next.”<\/p>\n

“This is how we feel, straight from the heart. Cubans want to be free, and we want it now,” Liwan Segui said in Spanish. “If no one helps us, we can\u2019t be free because the dictators have weapons, and the people don\u2019t.”<\/p>\n

\"cuba<\/p>\n

WFTS<\/p>\n

The rally comes as Cuba faces a growing humanitarian crisis right now. Fuel shortages are causing widespread blackouts and straining food and water supplies. The crisis intensified after the U.S. cut off oil from Venezuela, which is Cuba\u2019s primary supplier. Since then, the country has struggled to recover, and much of the island remains in the dark.<\/p>\n

“Our family members in Cuba have been suffering for over six and half decades. This is the end, it\u2019s a little bit of an extra challenge, but we\u2019re willing to endure it if it means we can liberate our family they\u2019ll be free to live a democracy like we\u2019ve enjoyed in this country,” Rafael Pizano said.<\/p>\n

\"cuba<\/p>\n

WFTS<\/p>\n

Throughout the rally, the crowd echoed chants of “Cuba libre” and “Patria y vida,” which translates to “Homeland and life.” The slogan and song serve as a direct challenge to the Cuban government\u2019s message of “Homeland and death.”<\/p>\n

“We’re tired of repression,” Deville said.<\/p>\n

Share Your Story with Annette

Annette Gutierrez knows safety is important for every community. She\u2019s focused on finding solutions and getting results for both crime and our roads. She takes pride in sharing stories from Sarasota and Manatee counties, so send Annette tips on how she can help.<\/p>\n

Contact Annette Gutierrez<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Florida lawmakers stall bill to fix \u2018confusing\u2019 school speed zone camera law as driver frustration mounts<\/p>\n

A proposed bill to require flashing lights in school speed zones with cameras failed to pass, leaving drivers to deal with \u2018confusing\u2019 signs.<\/p>\n

Fla. lawmakers stall bill to fix \u2018confusing\u2019 school speed zone camera law as driver frustration mounts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Dozens of Cuban Americans and supporters gathered at Al Lopez Park in Tampa on Saturday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211358,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[205,52140,96759,78589,96760,276,8877,135,3670,96761,137,136,208],"class_list":{"0":"post-211357","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-abc-action-news","9":"tag-al-lopez-park","10":"tag-cuba-humanitarian-crisis","11":"tag-cuban-americans","12":"tag-cuban-freedom-demonstration","13":"tag-hillsborough-county","14":"tag-marco-rubio","15":"tag-tampa","16":"tag-tampa-bay-local-news","17":"tag-tampa-cuban-rally","18":"tag-tampa-headlines","19":"tag-tampa-news","20":"tag-wfts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}