HR 9013

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution congratulating the owners and operators of
3	the Columbia Restaurant on the occasion of its 100th
4	anniversary.
5
6	WHEREAS, the Columbia Restaurant was founded in 1905 with
7	its flagship in Tampa's Historic Ybor City and has grown to
8	include five additional facilities, and
9	WHEREAS, the restaurant was founded by Cuban immigrant
10	Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., and has been owned and operated
11	throughout the ensuing century by the next four generations of
12	the family - including his son, Casimiro, Jr.; his granddaughter
13	and her husband, Adela and Cesar Gonzmart; and, now, his great
14	grandchildren, Casey and Richard Gonzmart, and his great-great
15	grandchildren, Lauren and Andrea Gonzmart - making the Columbia
16	Restaurant a fifth-generation, family-owned and operated
17	business, with additional members of the fifth generation being
18	trained as prospective leaders and a sixth generation of hope
19	and promise recently begun, and
20	WHEREAS, the family persevered in keeping the restaurant
21	open throughout the years, including during periods of decline
22	in Ybor City, by bringing in world-class entertainment to
23	attract customers, a tradition continuing today with renowned
24	flamenco dancers, and
25	WHEREAS, after the flagship restaurant underwent $6.5
26	million in renovations in anticipation of its centennial
27	celebration, the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City now
28	encompasses an entire city block of 52,000 square feet, and,
29	with 15 dining rooms, has enough seating for 1,700 people, NOW,
30	THEREFORE,
31
32	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
33	Florida:
34
35	That the Gonzmart Family is recognized on the celebration
36	of the 100th birthday of the Columbia Restaurant, the oldest
37	restaurant in Florida, the largest Spanish restaurant in the
38	world, and the economic heartbeat of Ybor City.
39	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
40	presented to the Gonzmart Family as a tangible token of the
41	sentiments expressed herein.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.