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Anti-Chávez group seeks a voice in S. Florida - Reality: They may not be going back to Venezuela***..............IVAC leaders acknowledge they face challenges to unite and energize South Florida's Venezuelans. The community, mostly anti-Chávez, is dispirited from the recent loss. Venezuelans are as divided here as in their own country among different opposition groups, and the community is scattered across many cities in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, though they have emerging enclaves in Weston and Doral.

Many Venezuelan immigrants also plan to go back to Venezuela someday and view local politics as a waste of time.

HOPE BEGINS TO FADE

IVAC leaders say those obstacles are fading in South Florida as Venezuela's reality sets in.

''There was hope among Venezuelans here that they might be able to return one day to Venezuela, but now it looks like they will have to focus on putting their feet firmly on the ground here,'' said IVAC vice president Victor Luengo.

``There is an awakening happening now that wasn't there before.''

Chávez set off alarms when he recently announced an accelerated push toward his ''21st century socialism'' that calls, among other things, for the nationalization of Venezuela's power and telecommunications companies.

''The question Venezuelans are asking themselves now is: `When do you decide you can't influence your home country anymore?''' said Dario Moreno, associate professor of political science at Florida International University. ``They're like the Cubans in the early '60s, before things like the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis made it clear that [Fidel] Castro wasn't going to leave anytime soon and was taking the revolution in a radical direction.''.......***

Chavez threatens more nationalizations***CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez threatened Wednesday to nationalize any privately owned supermarkets and food storage facilities caught hoarding inventories or violating price controls imposed on basic goods.

Accusing private companies of hoarding beef and other foods, Chavez warned supermarket owners and distributors that he would nationalize their facilities as soon as they gave him "an excuse."

"If they remain committed to violating the interests of the people, the constitution, the laws, I'm going to take the food storage units, corner stores, supermarkets and nationalize them," Chavez said during a televised broadcast. "So prepare yourselves!"

Chavez has been intent on nationalizing "strategic" sectors of the economy since winning re-election in December. He has moved quickly to buy out private interests in leading electricity and phone companies since the National Assembly gave him authority to enact sweeping measures by decree and accelerate the country's socialist transformation.

Earlier this week the government signed deals to buy stakes in local companies owned by two U.S. corporations - Verizon Communications Inc and CMS Energy Corp. There are no major U.S. interests, however, involved in the supermarket or food storage business in Venezuela….***