MIAMI — Inside the rolling room of El Credito Cigar Company, the air is earthy and fragrant, a mix of coffee and nuts tinged with caramel and leather. Amid those sweet smells, though, workers are worried about a new federal tobacco tax that threatens Florida's $2 billion cigar industry. Starting today, the tax increased from 5 cents to about 40 cents on large cigars, a little less on smaller stogies. Cigar makers say the increase will torch jobs and profits — what's left of them in the recession. ...more

April 1, 2009

Cuban-American voters in Miami remain dominated by an older generation with more extreme views on U.S.-Cuba foreign policy, including support for the U.S. embargo against their communist homeland, according to an exit poll taken during the 2008 election. ...more

March 22, 2009

Cuban-American voters here remain dominated by an older generation with more extreme views on U.S.-Cuba foreign policy, including support for the U.S. embargo against their communist homeland, according to an exit poll taken during the 2008 election. ...more

March 21, 2009

Fermin Montes de Oca and Helen Reid Toomey started their lives about a thousand miles apart, grew up in different cultures and spent their careers working in dissimilar fields. ...more

December 24, 2008

ctober is not Women's History Month, which is all the more reason to introduce readers to three underappreciated women and an inspiring 10-year-old girl who made history in Tampa. ...more

October 26, 2008

With a little ingenuity, any recipe can be twisted to suit individual - and regional - tastes. ...more

September 30, 2008

When her husband lost his battle with cancer 15 years ago, Bella Canasi threw herself into community service. ...more

July 15, 2008

Like other Republican presidential contenders, Mitt Romney favors a get-tough policy on illegal immigrants. But Romney's desire for tougher immigration enforcement doesn't apply to Cubans, who he says should be welcomed with open arms. ...more

November 28, 2007

TAMPA - Like other Republican presidential contenders, Mitt Romney favors a get-tough policy on illegal immigrants. But Romney's desire for tougher immigration enforcement doesn't apply to Cubans, who he says should be welcomed with open arms. ...more

November 27, 2007