A mayor in Florida is going to extreme measures to understand what many Cuban refugees experienced when they fled the communist nation.
Clint Johnson, mayor of DeBary, Fla., is planning a trip that would see him cross the Florida Straits from Cuba to the U.S. in a raft he built of plastic barrels and items he found in a landfill.
The trip, which Johsnon intends to make in the next couple of months, has garnered a lot of criticism from Cuban-Americans who believe the trip is offensive, while the U.S. Coast Guard has urged the 30-year-old to reconsider.
“I’m doing this trip,” Johnson said Saturday. “When I put my mind to something I don’t give up on it until I’ve achieved it.”
Johnson conducted an overnight test of his raft’s seaworthiness Friday, saying he experienced rough conditions with high winds.
“I’m feeling very optimistic now,” Johnston told WKMG in Orlando. “I feel confident that I can get this done.”
Johnson plans to make the journey without the help of a motor, instead rowing the entire 145-kilometre journey.
“It’s a smaller sail boat for lack of a better definition.”
The only setback from Johnson’s test sail was a broken oar.
“I’m still extremely confident,” said Johnson. “But I know one of my weak spots now.”
This is not the first time Johnson has rocked the boat by embarking on a controversial journey.
Last October Johnson cycled from Tallahassee to Key West in an effort to garner support for bike lanes and trails in the state. DeBary city councillors called the stunt “political posturing.”
Johnson has been a polarizing figure within the community he represents. Johnson has been accused of calling fellow council members “jerks,” and admitted to lying about graduating from university on his 2014 application to become a temporary city council member.
The Coast Guard has warned that the trip is extremely dangerous and could result in injury or death, and could trigger a major search and rescue operation if the mayor was to go missing.
The warnings have not deterred Johnson from fulfilling the journey.
“There is no law that prevents an American from coming home on a boat.”
Johnson says he is considering having a boat trail him during his journey, or carry a VHF marine radio in case of emergency.
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