>> This is a production of PBS Tampa, Saint Petersburg, Sarasota.

>> The United States is at war with Iran, and for most Americans, that feels far away.

But for Florida, the story starts right here.

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa is home to U.S.

Central Command, the military headquarters overseeing every strike, every mission, every move in this conflict.

Florida's ports move the fuel that powers the state and that fuel flows through waters now caught in the crossfire.

And Florida's communities, including thousands of Iranian Americans right here in Tampa Bay, are watching with deeply personal stakes.

Stay tuned for our special episode of Florida this week.

From Tampa to Tehran, a war in the Middle East resonating here at home.

Welcome back to Florida this week, special coverage of the Iraq War.

Tampa is home to the military command running this war.

So how does a city prepare for a global crisis?

We asked Tampa Mayor Jane Castor in today's show.

Plus, shipping is stalling at the Strait of Hormuz.

Florida runs on imported fuel supply chain.

Expert doctor L Craig Austin of Florida International University breaks down what's at stake for us, and our panel features three community leaders, each deeply connected to the people most affected.

We have Amir Ardebily, an Iranian American business owner and member of the Persian American Society of Tampa Bay.

Jonathan Ellis, chair of the Tampa Jewish Community Relations Council, and Reverend Andy Oliver, co-president of the Methodist Federation for Social Action.

Before we get to our guests, though, some context to understand why Tampa Bay is at the center of this story, you have to understand MacDill Air Force Base.

The command that operates from the base.

Florida this week looked into the history of U.S.

Central Command and how decades of preparation led to the operation now underway in Iran.

Take a look.

Operation Epic Fury was launched on February 28th in Iran, but it was years in the making right here in Tampa Bay, home to MacDill Air Force Base.

This is where the military experts at U.S.

Central Command oversaw operations in the Middle East in the air, land and sea.

Centcom strategic role in Iran this February was set in motion 47 years ago.

>> The Shah and his empress left shortly before midday.

>> The old chant of death to the Shah was replaced today by a new one.

Death to Carter.

Khomeini!

Khomeini, they cried.

We're waiting for you.

>> The command was created by then U.S.

President Jimmy Carter.

After the February 1979 overthrow of Iran's monarchy, it was followed by the November 1979 attack of the U.S.

Embassy in Tehran, when 52 American diplomats were taken hostage.

>> One of the captives, blindfolded, was brought out into the open.

Yankee, go home, they cried, but they made no attempt to harm him.

>> The command first took the form of a joint task force in response to that hostage crisis, and it became permanent under President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

>> I think it's important to remember the Iranian aligned militia group and the Houthis have attacked Americans about 500 times.

>> During Senate confirmation hearings last year, the new commander of Centcom, Admiral Brad Cooper, was specifically asked during the public proceedings about plans for strikes against Iran.

>> Our our role from a military perspective, is to remain ready for a wide range of contingencies and protect our people, and that's exactly what we're doing.

>> History shows that is the job for any Centcom commander to plan and prepare for anything across 21 countries in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, Central and South Asia.

Last fall, Centcom opened the Civil Military Coordination Center in southern Israel to coordinate international aid for Gaza, and it continues to remotely track developments on the ground in Gaza.

And for the first time in combat, Centcom deployed one way attack drones in Iran during Operation Epic Fury.

And now approaching week four of the operation, is posting Non-classified updates on its social media platforms.

That includes X and Facebook.

With 1.4 million followers each and another 189,000 followers are tracking developments on Instagram.

The content includes updates on weapons deployed and the latest strikes on Iranian vessels at sea.

We continue now our conversation with local leaders.

We're joined by City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

Mayor Castor, thanks for joining us.

>> My pleasure.

Always good to see you, Lisette.

>> The developments in Iran are something that are being followed by many in the community, in particular by Iranian Americans.

You know, a lot of folks do not realize how large the Iranian population is within the state of Florida.

What has been the local community reaction that you and your office has been fielding as things develop?

>> Yeah, you're correct.

This is an incredibly diverse community here.

And we do have large Iranian population, Muslim, Jewish.

You know, you name it.

Uh, we, we are incredibly diverse and mixed reviews with, uh, the attack in Iran, uh, you know, individuals that are very supportive and others feel that it, you know, it just may be that spark that sets off the entire Middle East.

>> What are the, some of the ripple effects that you all are preparing for as a city?

We see the oil prices continue to go up.

Um, what are you all looking looking at planning in case this continues over a longer period of time.

>> Yeah, that's a great question because, uh, you know, some of the immediate effects of that, as you indicated, were the increase in oil prices.

And, uh, as we here in Tampa and really the entire nation struck struggles with affordability and a number of different ways.

This dramatic increase in gas is impacting our community, our residents, our businesses and the city as well.

Uh, we budget every year for how much fuel we're going to use with, you know, a pretty certain idea of what those costs are going to be.

And to have this dramatic fluctuation is impacting we are focused on efficiency here in the city.

And so we are addressing ways that we will be able to further limit the amount of fuel that we use.

And then also just looking at that affordability for our residents and what we can do to relieve some of the burden that they're experiencing.

>> Is the city receiving more requests for protection?

For example, we have.

We're home to the Florida Israel Business Accelerator.

We have a number of churches, synagogues, different houses of faith.

Are you all receiving more requests for possible security, off duty police officers or someone being on the campus of these houses of worship?

>> Right?

We don't wait for those requests.

We have those relationships that are built, You know, every single day here in in our city, they were in place when I was a police officer.

And they have continued on.

And what we do is we provide security throughout our city, but also whenever there is a heightened risk, we have members of our police department that are on the Joint Terrorism Task Force run by the FBI.

And if there are any threats, um, whether it's in our city, in our state, our nation or around the world, we do, um, ramp up those, those security efforts at specific locations.

And so we're always aware of the threat level, if any, in our community.

And then we do everything in our power to work collaboratively with the community to prevent any incidents before they occur.

>> Mayor Jane Castor, thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate your perspective and your latest updates that you've shared with us.

>> Thank you very much, Lizette.

Have a great day.

>> Most of us don't think about where our gas comes from until the price jumps one waterway.

On the other side of the world has a lot to do with what Floridians pay at the pump, at the airport, even at the grocery store.

Doctor L Craig Austin is a supply chain expert at Florida International University in Miami, and he joins us now via Zoom.

Doctor Austin, welcome to Florida this week.

>> Good morning and thank you for having me.

>> There are so many new words for many of us that we're hearing for the first time the Strait of Hormuz, the pars, natural gas field, Kharg Island.

Help us to understand how these places that are so far away, the waterways, how they affect what's happening here in Florida.

>> Well, oil is a world commodity not just for us, but for everyone and the Strait of Hormuz off of Iran.

It accounts for 20% of all the oil in the world.

So all those Middle Eastern countries are pumping oil.

Well, they were pumping oil until February 28th when Israel and the US attacked Iran.

And they thought Iran would be like Venezuela.

It would just fold quickly.

Uh, it didn't do that.

And so the war is continuing.

And because the, um, there's such uncertainty in terms of, um, if you're a ship owner, if you're an insurer of ships, um, you don't want to move your ship because in case it could be damaged or missile could strike it.

And so you have over 600 ships sitting on the water in the Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz who are not moving.

>> Speaking of that, you know, Florida does not produce oil.

We bring it in through ports like Tampa and Port Everglades.

When that supply chain is interrupted, how soon, how quickly before Floridians feel it in the community?

>> Well, um, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz or mostly closed it on the 2nd of March.

We found it within a few days because the markets interpreted it as uncertainty, just like the fed chair did yesterday.

And so with uncertainty, the price began to rise almost immediately.

And it's continued to rise from like 285 to it's around 385.

So it's been up over a dollar.

>> That's right.

According to triple A, the national average per gallon right now is at 388.

And just a month ago the national the national average was $2.92 a gallon in Florida.

Our economy is so tied to tourism, aviation, travel.

How far does this ripple effect go for everyday Floridians if the conflict continues to drag on?

>> A lot of the things we buy have an oil component.

By that I mean, um, our stores, our grocery stores, our regular stores would be empty without the line of trucks that bring the produce that bring all the products into our lives.

Um, these are all being affected because of the oil price.

It's a world oil price.

I don't, I don't want to, um, worry listeners that we're going to run out of oil.

That's not the question here.

Um, the problem is that oil is going to increase.

Our gas is going to increase because of the uncertainty and because of the war continuing.

There were over 600 ships sitting off in the Strait of Hormuz.

Even if the war were to end today that Mr.

Trump were to declare victory, it would take months, months to clear those ships.

>> Doctor L Craig Austin, supply chain expert at Florida International University, thank you so much for joining us.

>> Oh my pleasure.

>> The economics are clear, but behind the war in Iran are people, families with roots in the countries, in the warfront communities where this conflict is more than a news headline.

Our panel today represents some of those voices right here in Tampa Bay.

We welcome Amir Ardebily, Iranian American business owner and member of the Persian American Society of Tampa Bay.

Jonathan Ellis, chair of the Tampa Jewish Community Relations Council, and Reverend Andy Oliver of the Allendale United Methodist Church.

Gentlemen, welcome.

Thank you so much for being here.

>> Amir, I'd like to start with you.

Um, how old were you when you came to this country?

You were born in Iran?

>> Yes.

Um, I was 14 when I came here.

First time in 1978.

That was like 6 or 7 months before the revolution.

Then I went back home and I came back again in 1985.

>> And how old were you then?

>> When I came back, I was 20.

>> So what would you what would you say based on your business owner, you're very active in your community.

You're a member of the Persian American Society of Tampa Bay.

What is the reaction that you're hearing from Persian Americans living in Tampa Bay regarding the crisis?

>> It's a great question.

I mean, the reaction is, is a mixed feeling, to be honest with you.

Iranians are right now very sad and concerned, but at the same time, they're hopeful.

So they're hoping to see a change in the regime and hopefully that one day Iranians could have the freedom that they wanted to have.

As you know, that, uh, there's hardly any democracy over there in Iran.

So it's a mixed feeling.

>> When you talk about when you talk to family members, family and friends.

What are the members hearing in terms of daily life in Iran right now?

>> Well, this is the part that, um, it's a little bit the way I would explain this.

The Iranians, uh, traditionally we never, ever celebrate death.

We celebrate life.

Is that right?

But right now, there's so much going on and so many people being killed by the regime.

And then now we have the war, obviously.

And war is never a good thing, you know.

So it's a huge is a huge, uh, division right now.

I mean, the majority of people want to see the regime change and they are they're very hopeful, but they're very scared.

They're fearful.

I mean, when I talk to the friends, we hardly can talk to anyone anyway because the internet is shut down.

And from time to time when we the that they call me, The Iranian people, friends that are constantly moving from one city to another, and the only communication they have is through actually United States with the United States government.

Israeli government giving them, telling them, okay, do not be in this area tomorrow or don't be.

So the Iranian regime is not really giving them any information, so they're not protecting their own people.

>> Jonathan, I'd like to ask you, what has been the reaction from the local Jewish community as well?

>> So the Jewish community is very is not necessarily homogeneous, but I think the general consensus of the community is, is that while they don't want to see the United States, they don't want to see Israel at war.

They don't want service people dying.

On the other hand, I think there's a recognition within the Jewish community that this war, hopefully, will make the world a safer place.

It will make the world a safer place.

It will be beneficial to the United States.

It will be beneficial to the Iranian people.

It will be beneficial to the entire Middle East.

And arguably, it will be beneficial for Israel, leading to a certain level of stability.

The extent that the Iranian regime is a destabilizing factor.

And I think most of the people within the Jewish community understand, you know, the you know, those issues notwithstanding, I don't think anybody is is necessarily within the Jewish community for war per se.

>> I asked, you know, Amir, the question of what daily life is like, what are family and friends in Israel saying about what's happening there right now?

>> You know, Israel, you have these attacks in major city centers and population areas within Israel.

But but the Israelis have been living under this type of attack for decades, maybe not to this extent, but they have been receiving rockets, rocket fire and things like that, you know, from Hezbollah, from Hamas, from Islamic Jihad, you know, the Houthis, all Iranian proxies, a lot of times with Iranian weapons and An Iranian rockets.

They have safe rooms.

They're prepared for it.

That is sadly part of the state of the life in, in, in Israel.

But I think when you look at the Israeli public, I think even the polls show that it is overwhelming support for changing the regime in Iran, if you can, if that is able to happen, and more importantly, removing the threat to the entire Middle East.

>> Reverend Oliver, you have the unique position that you pastor to many members of Tampa Bay's military community and people of various faiths.

What is the mood that you are hearing from our military families?

>> Yeah, I've checked in with with many of them and also some of our retired veterans and people are are worried about the way that we have flippantly gone into this war.

Um, I myself am a pacifist, so I begin with a conviction that war is a failure, a failure of imagination.

Um, and being a pacifist, pacifism isn't passivity.

It's about the harder work of de-escalation, about diplomacy and protecting human life.

It's a stubborn refusal to accept violence as inevitable.

And, um, and so the conversations I'm having, even with those who have given their lives to serve in the military, uh, is that, um, you know, they're really worried about the way this, this war is being managed and about the future.

Um, as they see more and more of their, their friends and their colleagues and family members go into harm's way.

>> One of the, one of the things that that the, especially the younger generation that's so used to the video games and so used to, um, social media, um, has pointed to is the fact that we are getting updates from the war front and the videos to them look like videos that they would see in their video games.

There are icons, there are things that are being added.

Um, and, and in our preparation, you said that you thought that that was dehumanizing the people who are on the receiving end of these attacks.

>> Yeah.

I mean, first of all, I would say yes to, you know, the people of Israel, yes to the people of Iran.

Um, but no to blank checks for governments, for endless wars.

And, and you know, what you're mentioning about the social media and the way the Trump administration is using it?

Um, war is, is not about, you know, content for social media.

Um, it feels like he's treating our lives like a game of risk, um, in the ways that he is, his administration is talking about the people and dehumanizing them.

And we have to be very careful.

History shows us that at times when we've gone to war, we've allowed, um, those discriminations to, to come here.

And so whether it is anti-Semitism or anti-Arab sentiment.

We have to to guard against that type of hatred from from living in us.

We don't want to repeat the mistakes that we've made in history.

>> In the time that we have left.

I'd like to ask each of you, um, to tell us what you would consider.

What are you looking for in terms of progress for your community?

Jonathan, I'd like to start with you.

>> You know, I think the progress, you know, in essence for, for, for, for the Jewish community would be a level of, of stability.

You would have a level of lives being saved as a result of terror not coming out of Iran.

You would see progress within Iran itself.

I think they've lost some 40,000 or so people just who were protesting the government, who, you know, were killed by the Iranian regime.

You know, that doesn't even count the attacks on Israel.

That doesn't count.

The count for the terror that is exported to different countries by Iran or things like that.

If that could stop and you bring a level of stability.

Number one, I think that is clearly beneficial.

I think if you just stop, the terror itself is beneficial.

But if you're able to put a new regime in and you're able to sort of free up the ability of the Iranians to live the lives that they want to live and to be productive citizens of the world community, I think that would be also a great benefit for for everyone.

>> Amir, what would you say would be a sign of progress for you?

>> First, I'd like to mention a couple of things from what I heard.

First of all, Iranians are not Arabs.

Number one, uh, Iranians are Persians, Persians, Persians.

Yes.

Um, we are in a situation that we are because of what has been imposed upon us for the last 1500 years.

Uh, and now I have to mention this.

So.

And now 47 years of ayatollahs and the dictatorship.

So it's very easy to sit here and say, okay, we don't want to get into a war.

Nobody wants war.

I don't want I've been in the war.

I served two years in the frontline against Iraqis in 1984 82 to 84 is not a beautiful thing at all.

However, when you have 47 years of destruction, killing mass, killing 127,000 executions of Iranian people for just for just expressing their their opinion.

So we are grateful to the Jewish community.

We are grateful to Israel.

We're grateful to the United States.

I know that a lot of Americans are against what I say, but we are thankful to the United States and the United States government.

I don't I don't support parties, I support policies, and this is one policy I support.

You need to get rid of this tyranny.

You need to get rid of this ayatollahs, otherwise the world would never be in peace.

A lot of younger generations and Americans do not understand.

I'm sorry.

I don't want to walk away from the subject, but this is important for me to voice my opinion that Iranians.

Um, Iran is a very rich culture, you know that?

Yes.

Ancient civilization.

Um.

The love of poetry.

The love, you know, music they love.

They just love to share.

They're, you know, they're very resilient and smart people.

Iranian people and Iranian government are two separate things.

Ayatollahs have the blood of so many Americans and and Jewish community, just as you said, to support the proxy wars around the world.

>> Reverend Andy, what would you say would be the thing that you would see and give you the comfort that things were moving in the right direction?

What would be that spark for you?

>> You know, a lot of our talk lately about this war coming to an end.

It's been about the economy.

And I understand why the economy is is important, but I think it also says something troubling about us that we are most moved by the economy and not by human suffering.

Um, and so I think keeping human life at the center of this Uh, conflict is the most important.

And I hope that that is, is what moves us as a people to want to build a better.

Uh, beloved community.

>> Well, we thank you so much for coming in.

Again, thank you to our panelists.

We have the Reverend Andy Oliver.

We have Amir Ardabili, and we also have Jonathan Ellis.

Uh, before we go, there are organizations right now on the ground helping in the Middle East amid the growing conflict, including one right here in Tampa Bay.

Grey Bowl Rescue is a Tampa based non-profit that's led by veterans and intelligence professionals.

They're actively evacuating Americans from the conflict zone right now as we speak.

You can support their work or request help for someone at Grey Bowl rescue.com.

On the national level, the International Rescue Committee is accepting donations for humanitarian relief.

That's rescue.org and Relief International, one of the only organizations that's authorized to operate directly inside of Iran right now.

You can help them by visiting AR i.org for this special episode of Florida this week.

Tampa to Tehran.

I'm Lizette Campos, thank you so much for watching.