Mote Marine Laboratory has a complicated relationship with Cuba; while a commerce embargo has been in place for decades, Mote scientists have been allowed to work with Cuban scientists to study the shared ocean system touching Florida and the island nation. So when President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced the U.S. would reopen diplomatic relations with Cuba, Mote scientists watched with interest.

“It could be very important in terms of making it a little easier to do collaborative work.” said Robert Hueter, Mote associate vice president for research. “Having embassies in both countries, hopefully the process gets more streamlined.” For scientists from Mote to get visas for an authorized trip to Cuba can take three to six months, Hueter said. The process can be even longer for Cuban scientists coming here. That’s not even touching on logistical challenges. Mote scientists in Cuba must bring cash for expenses that gets carefully budgeted beforehand, but Obama on Wednesday said use of credit cards and debit cards by Americans in Cuba may soon be allowable for the first time. Hueter hopes internet access now improves in Cuba, where scientists can’t even open large attachments to email or respond in a timely fashion to requests.

The politics of Cuba relations are a different story. A bevy of national politicians criticized the decision to open relations. “Revisiting relations with a Castro regime that has long been designated a state sponsor of terrorism is irresponsible and sends the wrong message to dictators across the globe,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, in a statement to SRQ. Buchanan, chair of the Florida Congressional Delegation, in 2011 filed legislation to stop Cuba from drilling for oil off Florida's shore by authorizing the Secretary of Interior to deny leases to companies doing business with Cuba. He joined figures including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a child of Cuban-American immigrants, and Gov. Rick Scott in condemning the White House move.

Hueter said politics will sort themselves out. “But I’m very hopeful this will make our work be a little bit less difficult and allow us to continue to push along the road of collaboration.”