Venezuelan Crisis Grips South Florida Communities

The political earthquake in Venezuela has South Florida’s Venezuelan community glued to their phones, WhatsApp groups buzzing with updates from family back home as uncertainty grips the nation following Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power.

From Doral’s bustling Venezuelan restaurants to the packed churches in Weston, locals are celebrating cautiously while keeping one eye on what comes next for the country that forced them to rebuild their lives thousands of miles away.

“Taking out the dictator doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the dictatorship,” said Gabriela Mesones Rojo, a Venezuelan freelance journalist reporting from Caracas. Her words echo the careful optimism heard in South Florida’s Venezuelan enclaves, where residents have learned to temper hope with hard-earned skepticism.

The mood in Venezuela remains tense, with many questioning whether Maduro’s capture truly signals the collapse of the authoritarian system that has ruled for years. Mesones Rojo said Venezuelans are particularly troubled by the fact that Maduro’s inner circle remains largely intact.

“High ranking political actors are still there, and they’re still making the decisions,” she explained. The absence of accountability for those closest to Maduro has deepened skepticism about real change, both in Venezuela and among the diaspora watching from South Florida.

Macarena Iglesias, president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida, pointed to opposition leader Edmundo González as the figure Venezuelans overwhelmingly chose at the ballot box in 2024’s contested election.

“Edmundo González is the person that the Venezuelan people elected in a landslide and a president that was recognized by President Biden as the legitimate president of Venezuela,” Iglesias said from her Miami office.

The transition has major implications for South Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan population outside of Venezuela itself. More than 200,000 Venezuelans have made South Florida their home over the past decade, transforming neighborhoods from Kendall to Aventura into vibrant communities that blend Venezuelan culture with American opportunity.

Restaurant owner Carlos Mendez, who fled Caracas in 2018 and now runs three areperas across Miami-Dade, said his extended family is cautiously optimistic but afraid to celebrate too early.

“We’ve been disappointed before,” Mendez said while prepping for the lunch rush at his Coral Gables location. “My mother calls me every morning now from Caracas. She says people are hopeful but scared to show it too much.”

The political upheaval comes as South Florida’s Venezuelan community has established deep roots in the region. Venezuelan students fill classrooms at Florida International University and the University of Miami. Venezuelan doctors work at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Baptist Health. Venezuelan entrepreneurs have launched businesses from tech startups in Brickell to construction companies in Hialeah.

For many, the question isn’t just about Venezuela’s future – it’s about whether they’ll ever be able to return home.

Maria Elena Torres, who coordinates Venezuelan community events in Weston, said families are having difficult conversations about what a stable Venezuela might mean for their lives in South Florida.

“Some people have been here eight, ten years now,” Torres explained. “Their kids speak English better than Spanish. They have mortgages, businesses, American dreams. Even if Venezuela gets better, would they go back?”

The uncertainty extends beyond personal decisions to broader policy implications. South Florida’s Venezuelan community has been a powerful political force, advocating for sanctions against the Maduro regime and supporting opposition movements. Now they’re watching to see how U.S. policy might shift as Venezuela’s political landscape evolves.

Local Venezuelan-American organizations have ramped up efforts to support the transition, organizing fundraisers for humanitarian aid and coordinating with opposition leaders. The Venezuelan American Caucus, based in Doral, has been working around the clock to monitor developments and advocate for continued U.S. support for democratic transition.

“This is the moment we’ve been working toward for years,” said caucus spokesperson Ana Rodriguez. “But we know the hardest work is just beginning.”

While the Venezuelan community focuses on political developments, the broader South Florida region watches for economic implications. Venezuela’s oil reserves and strategic location in the Caribbean have long been factors in regional sports and business relationships that could shift dramatically depending on who emerges in control.

The timing adds complexity to an already delicate situation. President Biden’s recognition of González as Venezuela’s legitimate leader created expectations that the incoming administration will need to address. How that plays out could affect everything from immigration policy to trade relationships that impact South Florida’s economy.

For now, Venezuelan families across South Florida continue their daily routines while staying glued to news from home. Children attend school in Aventura and Pembroke Pines while parents refresh news apps. Grandparents in assisted living facilities in Miami Beach call relatives in Caracas, trying to make sense of a situation that changes by the hour.

The coming weeks will test whether Venezuela can build the democratic institutions needed for lasting change – and whether South Florida’s Venezuelan community will finally get the homecoming they’ve dreamed about for years.

As Mesones Rojo noted from Caracas, “The real work of building democracy starts now.” That work will be watched closely from South Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have learned that freedom, once lost, requires constant vigilance to regain.