(WPTV/AP) - The Port of Palm Beach and Port Everglades announced Thursday they will not sign an agreement to trade with Cuba, one day after Gov. Rick Scott threatened to cut off its state funding if it signed the pact.
The Port of Palm Beach issued a statement saying representatives still plan to welcome a Cuban delegation at an event Friday at 11 a.m.
Port Everglades issued a statement Thursday that the National Port Administration of Cuba says no agreement is currently needed. The Fort Lauderdale-area port is also meeting with Cuban officials this week.
The Republican governor was highly critical of former President Barack Obama for allowing some products produced by independent Cuban entrepreneurs to be imported. The United States had imposed a trade embargo on the communist island for more than half a century.
The first shipments arrived Tuesday at Port Everglades: two containers of artisanal charcoal.