It took 12 years but thousands of Cuban Americans celebrated the inauguration of the permanent Cuban Memorial on 
Coral Way that honors the thousands of men and women who have died fighting or escaping the repressive regime in Cuba since 1959.
And no other Cuban American celebrated it more than former Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez, who was in office for most of the planning of the Cuban Memorial and many consider him one of the key driving forces that made the monument possible.
People don’t forget that. Especially high performance Cuban voters.
“Thanks to our future Congressman Joe Martínez, ex comissioner of Miami-Dade, for being with his 
people and always supporting us. Mr. Martinez was a key person so that this monument to the fallen Cubans would be built. Thanks again to Joe Martinez,” posted Armando Santelices on Facebook.
Really, he was like a rock star or a war hero Saturday, the way people wanted to shake his hand or take a selfie with him. His cellphone photo demand rate was second only to Sen. Marco Rubio, the Cuban exile community’s darling politico, who spoke in the inauguration program.
“He was the man of the hour,” said one political observer who was there and saw how Martinez was received.
Miami-Dade School Board Member Carlos Curbelo was also presente, alongside his political godfathers, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart. Lower key, mind you than Martinez. Both men are running for the same Congressional seat, the one now occupied by U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, who I did not see pictures of there. Maybe Curbelo was respectful of the fact that this was sorta Martinez’s event. He posted no selfies and can only be seen on the edge of this MDB twitter pic (above, left). Kudos to Carlos.
The Cuban Memorial started in 2001 as a make-shift graveyard of 10,000 white crosses — with names, dates and place of death — placed at Tamiami Park for a three day stretch so residents could visit and pay their respects to victims of Fidel Cast
ro’s oppressive regime. In addition, another larger cross was displayed to represent the victims who remain unaccounted.
Martinez secured some funding and a permanent site for the memorial. Now it is represented as a 62-foot-high obelisk made out of mosaic tiles bearing the Cuban flag, and built within a five-pointed star surrounded by shattered glass bearing the names of all the victims who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest for freedom.
Ladra hears that Munilla Construction Management donated at least some of their time and services, after the county paid $400,000 to get it going.
Kudos to them, too.
Joe Martinez shines at Cuban Memorial event added by Ladra on
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