Florida launches probe after Cuba kills 4 aboard US-flagged speedboat near Keys
The State of Florida launched a full investigation into an announcement from the Cuban government that it killed several people aboard a U.S.-flagged speedboat operating close to the Communist island’s north shore on Tuesday.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., first said the Cuban Interior Ministry reported confronting a speedboat with a Florida license number and claimed the occupants opened fire first.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told Fox News Digital that his office is now looking into the situation, adding that Havana is not an honest neighbor to start.
"I’ve directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to work with our federal, state, and law enforcement partners to begin an investigation," Uthmeier said in a statement.
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"The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable."
The Cuban government claimed that on Tuesday morning, a "violating speedboat" had been detected within one nautical-mile of Falcon Key’s El Pino channel, near Villa Clara.
The area also lies a relatively short distance due south of the Florida Keys resort town of Marathon.
The Cubans claimed that when five Border Guardsmen approached to make the Americans identify themselves, the speedboat’s crew fired shots.
"As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured. The injured individuals were evacuated and received medical assistance," the Cuban government claimed.
"[N]ational defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region."
When reached for comment, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official directed Fox News Digital to the State Department.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio was already in the Caribbean region on Tuesday, visiting with officials in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
Gimenez, the only Cuban-born member of Congress and a vocal critic of his home country’s current dictatorship, told Fox News Digital that the Diaz-Canel regime "must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity."
Gimenez said he has asked his fellow Miamian, Rubio, for more details and called for the firefight to receive the full federal attention it deserves.
The press pool traveling with Rubio has inquired about the situation.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., who represents heavily Cuban-American parts of Miami like Calle Ocho, said in a statement she is also "following very closely the reports that Cuban regime forces opened fire on a speedboat registered in Florida."
"This is a developing situation and I am awaiting official information from the U.S. authorities," Salazar said, adding that four people are reportedly dead and six wounded.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., demanded a "full investigation into this deeply concerning situation and to determine what happened."
"The Communist Cuban regime must be held accountable."
The news came as the Treasury Department signaled Wednesday that it would allow oil companies to apply for licenses to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba amid the ongoing crisis on the island, according to Reuters.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DeSantis administration and the White House for further comment.