Jolly praises – Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly praised the U.S. Department of Justice for indicting Cuba’s Raúl Castro, calling it “the right thing to do” and “long overdue.” Jolly pointed directly to the February 24, 1996 shootdown of unarmed Brothers
Wednesday’s news that the Department of Justice had indicted Cuba’s Raúl Castro landed in David Jolly’s campaign with unusual force: praise for the indictment itself, and a promise that the people at the center of the case would not be forgotten.
Jolly, a Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate who has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump and his administration during the campaign, said the move was “the right thing to do—and it is long overdue.”
This was not political theater for Jolly. In a statement posted on May 20. 2026. he opened by honoring the families of the four men he said were murdered on February 24. 1996. when the Cuban regime ordered the shootdown of unarmed Brothers to the Rescue humanitarian aircraft over international waters. Jolly said the bodies of the victims were never recovered and that their families have “never had justice.”.
The names Jolly emphasized were Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
He framed the indictment as accountability long sought by Cuban exile families and demanded by those who testified and marched and held vigils through years of unanswered questions. “For decades, the families of these men and the Cuban exile community never stopped demanding accountability,” he wrote. “They marched. they testified. they held vigils. they kept this memory alive when too many in positions of power were willing to let it fade.”.
Jolly’s remarks tracked closely with what the Department of Justice did in Washington. On Wednesday. the DOJ unsealed a superseding indictment against Raúl Castro and five other members of the Castro regime for their alleged roles in shooting down two unarmed rescue planes in 1996. an incident that the indictment says killed four U.S. nationals.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder. The indictment lays out potential penalties that include a maximum of death or life imprisonment on the murder and conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals counts, plus up to five years in prison for each of the destruction of aircraft counts.
The case is tied to a broader escalation in U.S. rhetoric toward Cuba’s communist government and its leadership. The Trump administration has been ratcheting up language against the regime. including Raúl Castro. who Jolly’s statement described as the brother of the late dictator Fidel Castro. and current leader Miguel Díaz-Canel. The statement also sits within the timeline that Raúl Castro led Cuba after his brother became ill and then turned over the position to Díaz-Canel in 2021.
For Jolly, that history is personal and political at the same time. Before his current run, he previously represented a Pinellas County, Florida congressional district as a Republican. In 2018. he left the GOP after President Trump’s takeover of the party. and later formally registered as a Democrat to seek the governorship.
The race itself centers on an open seat because Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is term-limited. Jolly is the frontrunner heading into the August 18 primary, where he is expected to face Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who has been endorsed by Trump.
Against that backdrop. Jolly used Wednesday’s federal action to draw a firm line between what he called justice and what he said delayed it. “This was not an accident. It was not a misunderstanding. ” he wrote. saying the incident was “an act of state terrorism carried out by the Cuban Air Force against civilians whose only mission was humanitarian rescue.” He added that. if it took too long to reach the point of indictment. that delay was a “failing we should all reckon with honestly. ” and said it shouldn’t be used as a reason to withhold recognition now that the legal process is moving.
“The indictment of Raúl Castro is the right thing to do—and it is long overdue. ” Jolly said again. then closed by telling Cuban American families and “every Floridian” that he sees the history as lived memory. not an abstraction. He said that as governor he would ensure Florida “never stops standing on the side of those who demand accountability for the crimes of the Cuban regime.”.
“Justice delayed is still justice,” he wrote. “Today is a good day.”
David Jolly Florida governor Raúl Castro indictment Department of Justice Brothers to the Rescue February 24 1996 Carlos Costa Armando Alejandre Jr. Mario de la Peña Pablo Morales Ron DeSantis term-limited Byron Donalds Trump endorsed August 18 primary