A Gainesville man and his wife traveled this week to Miami to catch a cruise ship for their 31st anniversary. Little did they know, they would witness some history on Saturday morning.
Ty Talley said he woke up in his Miami hotel room, grabbed a cup of coffee and turned on the news to see that former Cuban President Fidel Castro had died overnight.
"I saw what was going on in Little Havana and I said 'I gotta be there,' so I got an Uber ride down to Versailles restaurant, which is kind of like the Longstreet of Gainesville," Talley said.
When his ride dropped him off, he said a couple of hundred people were in the streets, celebrating the passing of the former communist leader.
"I got out, made some videos and pictures and just kind of soaked it all in," Talley said. "[People were] very optimistic, very excited, somewhat a sense of relief."
Under Castro's 50 years of government control, close to two million Cubans fled the island nation. Nearly one million of those are said to have settled in Florida, many in Miami.
Talley said he witnessed some tears, but most of the people lining the streets were cheering or waving flags - car horns were honking, as well.
"It was all celebratory...no disruption...it was just people celebrating peacefully. The police had everything well under control," he said.
Talley said when he got ready to leave the area on SW 8th Street, he had some trouble getting away because the crowds had more than doubled in size.
"My Uber driver couldn't find me, so I had to walk several blocks down to an empty street corner. It took me about 45 minutes to get a ride back."
Talley said he was worried he might not back it back to his hotel in time to pack and then meet the ship, but he said he couldn't miss the moment.
"I told my wife, I have to go down there."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/11/473806/gainesville-man-witnesses-street-celebration-in-miami-following-castro-death