Reports: Cuban custody case was high priority for Florida

According to an article from the Associated Press, Florida’s government spent lots of manpower and money were spent in the custody case of a Cuban girl:

E-mails obtained from the state through an open-records request and other documents show that the Department of Children & Families spent more than $250,000 and accepted many hours of free legal assistance in its unsuccessful effort to have a wealthy Cuban-American couple, former sports agent Joe Cubas and his wife, become the permanent guardians for Rafael Izquierdo's 5-year-old daughter.

In addition, the Miami Herald reported that top officials were worried that the case would get out of hand much like the 2000 ordeal over Elian Gonzalez:

'I imagine both parties will likely try to involve the `court of public opinion,' '' wrote Flora Beal, a Miami spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families. ``This could become an Elian-like situation.''

Her e-mail, among documents in the case obtained by The Miami Herald, referred to Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy at the heart of a 2000 custody controversy that ended explosively when federal agents seized him from his relatives' Little Havana home. And the administrations of both former Gov. Jeb Bush and his successor, Charlie Crist, took unusual steps to make sure that didn't happen again, sources told The Herald.

Earlier this month, a settlement was reached which would grant Inquired custody of his daughter while affording visitation rights to the Cubas.

Sources- Associated Press, MiamiHerald.com, local10.com, PBS, The Latin Americanist

Image- elnuevoherald.com (Images of Rafael Izquierdo and Joe Cubas)