WASHINGTON _ Even in the middle of the night, the reaction to the death of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was swift from South Florida lawmakers and those with Cuban-American ties.
"The day that the people, both inside the island and out, have waited for has arrived: A tyrant is dead and a new beginning can dawn on the last remaining communist bastion of the Western Hemisphere," Florida GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Havana, said in a statement.
"The message is now very clear to those who think they will continue to misrule Cuba through oppression and fear," she said. "Enough is enough. The Cuban people have been shortchanged for too long to continue down this reviled path."
Ros-Lehtinen called the death of the communist leader as an opportunity, but she cautioned against continued easing of relations with the country until there are far more significant democratic reforms.
"Not until the gulags are closed, elections are held, political prisoners are freed and liberty is restored can the United States lawfully end its embargo against the communist regime in Havana," she said. "The time to act is now."
Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who also represents South Florida, responded to Castro's death on Twitter.
"The passing of the dictator marks the end of a long, horrifying chapter in #Cuba's history," he wrote. "The #Cuban people need our solidarity."
Castro's brother Raul Castro, the current president of Cuba, made the announcement on state television that the 90 year-old former leader died just before 10:30 p.m. local time, according to the Agence France-Presse and other media reports.
