TAMPA - There is a new push to make Tampa a gateway to Cuba, including direct flights from here to Havana, in an effort to connect Tampa's economical future with its historical past.

The vision is to have at least two non-stop flights each day to Havana, totaling more than 8,000 passengers a month, and open the Port of Tampa to shipping trade with Cuba.

"That will create jobs, and it will also help to break down some of those old barriers that need to be broken down in an peaceful way," said Stephen Michelini with the World Trade Center.

Backers of Cuba trade asked the Tampa City Council to visit the island nation on a cultural and trade mission. They found a ally in councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena.

"It's for our economic future, as well as our cultural, social, and economic heritage," Saul-Sena said.

A hundred years ago, Florida cattle were driven across the state to steamships in Tampa, bound for Cuba. Then came the famous Tampa cigar factories staffed by Cuban immigrants. The rise of Fidel Castro, however, led to the U.S. embargo that severed much of Tampa's historical Cuban connection.

The port of Houston recently got authorization to expand its trade with Cuba, and backers of the Tampa-Cuba connection say now is the time to reopen trade here.

Some agricultural trade is allowed under the embargo, and backers say Tampa needs to catch up.

The City Council voted to organize with the County Commission and the Aviation and Port Authorities to steer Tampa back to its longtime Cuban ties.

There are currently several bills in the United States Congress aimed at easing the embargo, but many Cuban exiles, especially in South Florida, are still opposed to lifting it.