Death of Castro: Florida officials monitoring situation in Cuba

CTV National News: First day of public mourning Official ceremonies to mourn Fidel Castro have begun in Cuba. Genevieve Beauchemin reports on how Havana is marking the death of a dictator.

MIAMI -- The Latest on the reaction in Miami to the death of Fidel Castro (all times local):

11:25 a.m.

Officials in Monroe County are monitoring the situation in Cuba following the death of Fidel Castro.

Spokeswoman Cammy Clark said in a news release on Saturday that the county's emergency management agency has been in touch with Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the Coast Guard and state emergency management officials.

Monroe County's Emergency Management Director Marty Senterfitt says at this time there are no indications of mass migration and no expectations that it will occur. He says they'll continue monitoring "with due caution" to make sure the county is prepared if "anything unusual" happens.

Key West is just 90 miles from Cuba.

9:50 a.m.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says the death of Fidel Castro should signal important changes for communist Cuba.

Scott said in a statement Saturday that he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump by phone and pledged Florida's help in pushing for democracy in Cuba. The Republican governor says Castro's death should "usher in an era of freedom, peace and human dignity" in Cuba.

The statement said Scott also spoke by phone with Miami-area mayors and officials from the Coast Guard and National Guard.

9:15 a.m.

Police in Miami say there have been no arrests and no reports of violence in demonstrations following the death of Fidel Castro.

Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Fallat says early Saturday officers did close down part of 8th Street, the famed Little Havana thoroughfare known as Calle Ocho where hundreds of people gathered to celebrate.

The street was reopened later in the morning where people continued to wave Cuban and American flags, honk horns and bang pots.

Fallat says the demonstrations have been very peaceful.

6:45 a.m.

As dawn broke in Florida, stragglers celebrating the death of Fidel Castro remained on the streets of Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood.

Some had been there for hours, while others came when they tuned to the morning news.

Gone were the drums, fireworks and people banging on pots with spoons. A handful of people carried both U.S. and Cuban flags. The mood was decidedly more subdued.

Calle Ocho, the main street through Little Havana, remained closed, and Miami Police said they expected the road to remain closed throughout Saturday because they anticipated more revelers.

People congregated near Cafe Versailles, a go-to establishment for Cuban exiles, politicians and locals alike.

"I'm very proud that the devil's going home," one woman told a reporter on live television.

Earlier in the night, people were enthused to be marking a historic event.

Alex Ferran headed toward the gathering in front of Versailles with three friends early Saturday morning. The 21-year-old's mother and grandmother had called him with the news of Castro's death, and he was beside himself with excitement.

"We're here to celebrate. This is history in the making. This is insane, dude. Someone died and there's a parade. This could only happen here."

4:40 a.m.

While thousands reveled in the streets of Little Havana, other Cuban-Americans sat in their homes, reflective of the moment that seemingly all of Miami had waited on for so long.

Jorge De Mena, a 41-year-old chief financial officer of a catering company, was awake early Saturday, after the announcement of Castro's death. His grandfather Carlos Leon was a Cuban Naval attache to the US government for the government of Fulgencio Batista.

His mother's family left in 1962 due to danger of imprisonment and possible execution. They did not return due to a hostile environment of anyone associated with the Batista regime.

De Mena expressed "disbelief and regret" at Castro's passing.

"Regret that people in my family that are no longer with me cannot revel in this moment," De Mena said in an email to an Associated Press reporter. "Disbelief because he became this larger than life enemy that couldn't be vanquished by even the U.S's greatest attempts on his life. This is a great day for anyone that wishes for a better life in any circumstance. Nothing is permanent, even ideas."

4:14 a.m.

Three Cuban-American congressional members from Florida issued a joint statement early Saturday morning after hearing the news of Fidel Castro's death.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Curbelo said in a news release that a new chapter in Cuba's history must be written and political reforms are essential for helping with free elections and human rights on the island.

"Fidel's apologists around the world can help to restore freedom and human rights for Cuba by joining the call for the new regime to free the hundreds of freedom fighters and pro-democracy activists still locked in Castro's prisons," wrote Ros-Lehtinen.

3:34 a.m.

Cuban exiles and their descendants in Miami are reflecting and jubilating in the hours after the government's announcement of Fidel Castro's death.

The news of Castro's death was long anticipated by the exiles who left after Castro took power, and in the decades since. Rumours have come and gone for decades, and Castro's death had become something of a joke -- mostly because it seemed to happen so frequently.

This time, it was real. Folks banged pots with spoons, rapped on cowbells and whooped in jubilation on Calle Ocho (KY'-ay OH'-cho) early Saturday. Cars honked horns, and police blocked off streets.

Gabriel Morales is a 40-year-old financial executive. His parents left Cuba decades ago. He says the news of Castro's death "seems unreal."