[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF JULIO BALSERA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DONNA E. SHALALA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2019

  Ms. SHALALA. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Julio Balsera, the 
extraordinary Cuban activist. He passed away last month at the age of 
80.
  Born in Havana in 1939, Mr. Balsera spent his early years fighting 
the Castro regime. He fled Cuba by hiding inside the kitchen cabinets 
of a cargo ship bound for Caracas in 1960, and in 1963, he made his way 
to Miami.
  Mr. Balsera continued his activism in South Florida. He founded the 
J. Balsera School Bus Service, which offered children rides to school. 
Through this business, Mr. Balsera became a key figure in the 
burgeoning Cuban-American community. He got to know the schoolchildren 
who rode his buses and their families, and he was always happy to 
provide vote recommendations. He also sent his buses to mobilize voters 
ahead of elections and to help Cubans arriving in Florida during the 
Mariel exodus.
  Mr. Balsera sold his bus company after four decades of business, but 
he continued his activism, leading the charge to recall former Miami-
Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez in 2011. He was also a founding member of the 
Cuban American National Foundation.
  Julio Balsera's influence can be seen at nearly every level of 
government in the greater Miami area, and his legacy of speaking truth 
to power will be felt for years to come. I'm proud to recognize his 
contributions to our South Florida community.

                          ____________________