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The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed the HB 905 law yesterday at the newly inaugurated Bay of Pigs Museum and Library, located in the heart of Little Havana in Miami, and made one of his strongest statements against the regime in Havana.
Before signing the bill, DeSantis took a moment to address Cuba, pointing out that Florida needs a "good neighbor" 90 miles from its shores.
"It's time for the Cuban communist dictatorship to be sent to the dustbin of history once and for all", declared the governor.
"If Cuba were free, it would be an incredibly prosperous country", DeSantis added.
The event was filled with political symbolism: veterans of the Brigada 2506, key figures in the attempted invasion of April 1961, were present on stage, to whom DeSantis assured that they were "on the right side of history."
A law against foreign interference
The legislation, officially called the Foreign Interference Restriction and Enforcement Act (FIRE), expands and tightens Florida's state restrictions against so-called "countries of concern," a list that includes Cuba, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Syria.
Among its most notable provisions, the law prohibits state agencies from signing contracts with the governments of those countries, prevents public officials from accepting gifts or benefits from those regimes, and authorizes local governments and tax collectors to revoke business licenses from companies operating in Cuba that violate federal or state laws.
The regulation also prohibits the allocation of school voucher funds to schools affiliated with terrorist organizations and establishes restrictions on adoption and surrogacy agreements when one of the parties is a citizen or resident of a country included in the list.
"You can't do business with criminals," DeSantis pointed out during the event, as reported by Martí Noticias.
The sponsor of the project, representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Republican from Fort Myers, firmly defended the legislation: "We must remain vigilant and continue to ensure that we protect our great state of Florida from attacks by our foreign enemies."
The FIRE Law sends them the message that we are vigilant and that they should think twice before setting their sights on our great state.
A clause for a free Cuba
One of the most innovative elements of the law is the section titled "Support for a Free and Independent Cuba," which includes an unprecedented clause: if the federal government modifies Cuba's diplomatic status, the governor is authorized to issue a temporary executive order that suspends certain state restrictions and facilitates business interactions with a post-regime Cuba.
This provisional suspension cannot be renewed without the explicit approval of the state Legislature, as specified by Martí Noticias in detailing the content of the project.
DeSantis was explicit about the scope of his vision: "What is needed is the end of the regime, not just rearranging the chairs on the Titanic." He added: "If Cuba were free, it would be an incredibly prosperous country."
Coordinated pressure from Washington and Tallahassee
The signing of the law takes place during a week of intense pressure on Havana. On May 1st, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14404, which broadens sanctions against the Cuban regime and declares a national emergency due to Cuba's policies, deemed an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States.
On May 7th, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced specific sanctions against GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls between 40% and 70% of the Cuban economy, its CEO Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, and the state-owned mining company Moa Nickel S.A.
Foreign companies have until June 5, 2026 to terminate operations with sanctioned Cuban entities as part of a maximum pressure strategy coordinated between the Trump administration and the Florida government.
The HB 905 law will come into effect on July 1, 2026. With this, Florida solidifies its role as an anti-communist bastion and, according to its own legislators, becomes the state best prepared to respond quickly to a potential regime change in Havana.
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