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For decades, my friend Kristin and I have been going to Florida for a February week of visiting her relatives, participating in the Gasparilla Race Weekend in Tampa, and enjoying the sunshine. This year, we’d already bought our flights and rental car before the political situation produced cries to boycott the U.S. We decided to go anyway — this time.
Over the week in Florida, when we told people where we were from, the reply was often a joking “Oh yes, the 51st state.” People perhaps did not appreciate what an insult it is to us but they were proud to be up on the news.
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Still, we experienced nothing but friendliness in St. Petersburg where we stayed and on the rare occasion when politics was brought up, the locals expressed disappointment, saying, “Do what you can to protest, and boo!” Yet tariffs weren’t top of mind and people asked us what was involved in them.
We encountered a handful of Canadians from Prince Edward Island on the Looper, a free trolley that circulates in downtown St. Petersburg. As the Looper driver pointed out the Medical School of South Florida building, we cringed when Miss PEI, in a red sweatshirt with a big CANADA on it, shouted: “We need doctors, they should come and work for us!”
We talked to a few U.S. snowbirds from Delaware, Michigan and Illinois. Sitting by the pool, I spoke to a man from “six months each New York/Florida” who said he loved Canada and had recently been to Mont Tremblant and Toronto. “I’d love to go again — if the Canadians will have me,” he added, cursing about the stupidity of the political situation.
In the start corral of the Gasparilla 8k race, a young woman told me, “they’re talking about you!” Apparently the announcer had welcomed all the Americans — and some Canadians — doing the race. We saw no Canadians but ourselves; still the Americans we met were appreciative of our presence. Race shirts and other merchandise were made mainly in Mexico or China, not in the U.S. A man at the race starting beside me was wearing a Mexico soccer shirt and I regretted not bringing a red shirt.
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Relaxing after the race, we bought a newspaper at a Publix grocery store. Here is a letter on the opinion page of the Tampa Bay Times, Feb. 23. Katy Prats of St. Petersburg writes:
“I’m an American, but I’m so proud of Canadians for standing up to Donald Trump and for their own country. While having goods from the U.S. may be nice, you don’t need them. There isn’t much the U.S. has that you cannot get elsewhere, or at least an acceptable alternative. Mexico can fill in any blanks left in your produce aisle, and almost every other country would love to have your steel, aluminum and oil. Mexico also has beautiful warm beaches to replace the overpriced ones that you visit in the U.S.
“You and Mexico can skip the ‘middleman’ and be good to go.”
Despite the serene beaches, the trouble with the U.S. rages on. Trinidad and Tobago is looking good for next year.
Louise Rachlis is an Ottawa writer and artist who recently returned from Florida.
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