Florida Keys business owners reveal contrasting views of Trump's America

Two restaurant owners in the Florida Keys have differing views of Donald Trump's America on the eve of US midterm elections, with a French immigrant concerned about growing political divisions and a Cuban-American restaurateur still sympathetic to Republicans despite misgivings about the president. The Florida Keys are a chain of coral islands at the southern tip of the "Sunshine State" of Florida, connected by a major highway. Less than 100km from Cuba, the islands are dotted with palm trees, coves filled with pleasure yachts and surf schools. For Pierre-Marc Bellion, America – and the Keys – offered a way of life. For Raphaël Garcia’s parents, it offered an escape. Today, both men run hospitality businesses in the region. Their different histories have shaped their views of immigration and the political divisions surrounding it. A land of opportunity "We fell in love with the weather, the water, the climate, the lifestyle," says Bellion, who co-owns the Café Moka in Tavernier, near Key Largo, with his wife. "It's really easy to have a business in America," adds his wife Alex. "There are much less formalities, compared to France, and people are really supportive." PIerre Marc Bellion, Global Real Estate Advisor and co-owner of Café Moka in Tavernier, Florida, 31 October 2026. © RFI/Jan van der Made Bellion first visited the Keys with Alex more than 30 years ago. After returning to France, building businesses and starting a family, they sold everything and moved back permanently. “It was not a financial dream or the gold rush. It was really the lifestyle that we enjoy here,” he told RFI. Garcia, an American-born restaurateur with Cuban parents, has a different relationship with the United States. He says the Cuban government confiscated his maternal grandfather’s business and properties. "There was the knock on the door," he says. "Their house was confiscated and is now in the possession of the government of Cuba." His parents fled to the US. “They came here with absolutely nothing,” he says. His father left Cuba at 17 and never saw his relatives there again. Garcia says an uncle became a political prisoner and was locked up in a concentration camp. Can Latino discontent loosen Republican grip on Florida? 'More and more polarised' Bellion remembers admiring the ability of Americans "to put elections behind them and work together despite political disagreements". He now sees an increasingly fractured country, with people retreating into media that reinforce their existing beliefs. "It seems like the last 10 years in America have become more and more polarised," he says. "People only listen to the same channels or radios or read the same things. So if you lean red [Republican], you're going to go fluorescent red. If you lean liberal, you're going to be even more liberal. This has changed a whole lot,” he says. "It makes me sad." His café provides an opportunity for discussion. Customers approach him with political worries, but open discussion increasingly "feels unwelcome," he says. “I think we should be able to freely speak about it and not argue.” 'We're solid red here' Garcia is also disappointed with the current situation and says Trump has failed to keep some of his promises. But he does not see dissatisfaction with the president translating into a broader rejection of Republicans among Cuban-Americans. “As far as shifting away from the Republican Party, I’m not seeing that.” He describes himself as an independent and a centrist, but views the Democrats’ direction through the experience of his family in Cuba. "With the Cuban community, we've seen the signs, with the Socialists in the Democratic Party, we've seen it before first hand, and you can put a lot of lipstick on it, but communism is communism at the end of the day. "I'd say we're solid Red here." Cuba slowly gets power back after third nationwide blackout in six months Immigration crackdown Bellion says he remains in the United States on a visa and cannot vote, despite years running businesses and employing staff. “I’ve had maybe half a dozen businesses with 30, 40 employees sometimes. And I still do not vote.” He questions claims that undocumented migrants vote in US elections, stressing that even legal immigrants cannot vote. "I keep hearing that illegal immigrants are voting. But let me tell you: legal immigrants can't vote, so the fantasy that illegal immigrants would vote is quite funny from my end." Trump's border: quiet, but few people are happy Garcia acknowledges that the US gave his parents refuge by granting them political aslylum, but he supports Trump's tougher immigration enforcement. “Some of the tactics are a bit rough,” he admits. He would prefer authorities to distinguish between people "contributing to society and those who are not." He says several employees have already left and acknowledges that good workers are being caught up in enforcement. Nevertheless, he supports the crackdown. “We’ve got to clean it up because it was out of control.”