EXCLUSIVE — A University of South Florida professor’s repeated trips to Cuba sparked internal security concerns amid a crackdown on academic ties with the island, records obtained by the Washington Examiner show.

The public university’s board of trustees investigated economics teacher Dr. Gabriel Picone over four Cuba visits he took between July 2022 and June 2025, leading trustee Charbel Barakat to suggest that USF steer clear of Cuba in an August 2025 email. Barakat, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), referenced “risks” associated with Cuba’s “surveillance and intelligence apparatus.” Six trustees on the 13-member board were DeSantis appointees by the time of the inquiry.