La Floridita

Manhattanville business owner Ramon Diaz says Columbia has cut off negotiations over a possible relocation of Diaz’s restaurant, Floridita, due to overdue rent, real estate tax, and water charges which Diaz disputes. A meeting between Diaz and University representatives consisted of “a lot of niceties,” according to Diaz, but he said he was told that “until we get all this [the rent dispute] clarified, we don’t speak and we don’t negotiate about the future of Floridita.”

Upholding a family tradition that has lasted over three decades, Ramon Diaz has become a window into the changing landscape of Manhattanville.