Luxury real estate brokers Tal and Oren Alexander and their brother Alon pleaded not guilty in New York Friday to charges they conspired to sexually assault women in multiple states, and prosecutors said there are more than 60 alleged victims.

The Alexander brothers entered their pleas before U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan. Tal, 38, and his younger twin brothers, Alon and Oren, both 37, entered the courtroom dressed in tan, short-sleeved prison uniforms.

All three brothers were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and a separate count of sex trafficking of one woman by force, fraud or coercion. In addition, Tal was charged with the sex trafficking of a second victim. 

They would face life in prison if convicted.

ALEXANDER BROTHERS' ALLEGED VICTIMS RECOUNT TERRIFYING ATTACKS IN IMPACT STATEMENTS

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa said the government has interviewed more than 60 people who have reported being sexually assaulted by at least one of the brothers. Prosecutors previously alleged 40 victims.

Federal investigators said they examined iCloud accounts and Instagram and Facebook social media accounts for all three brothers, along with dating app accounts for Oren and Alon, who works as a security firm executive.

HIGH-PROFILE REAL ESTATE BROTHER MISSES HEARING AFTER MIX-UP IN IDENTICAL TWINS' SEX TRAFFICKING CASE

Searches of their New York and Miami homes turned up 19 devices like laptops, iPads, hard drives, thumb drives and SD cards, according to prosecutors. Also recovered was a Motorola cellphone and an Apple Watch. 

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Their parents and Oren’s wife attended Friday’s hearing. 

The brothers are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, alongside disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Luigi Mangione.

The sordid accusations allege that the siblings used their wealth and positions to lure women to nightclubs and parties and other events before drugging them and sexually assaulting them.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Tal's attorneys, Deanna Paul and Milton Williams Jr., said the charges "are an overreach by the government."

"We have no doubt the evidence will prove that these are all false allegations and the Alexanders are innocent," they said.

Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys for Alon and Oren.

WEALTHY FLORIDA REAL ESTATE BROTHERS' 'TROPHIES' UNCOVERED AS JUDGE DENIES BAIL: FEDS

Their trial date is set for Jan. 5, 2026, and their next hearing is July 15, 2025.

Oren and Tal Alexander co-founded the real estate firm Official, which offers luxury listings in places like New York City, the Hamptons, Miami and Los Angeles, in 2022 after rising through the ranks at Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country, according to prosecutors.

Their past clients include Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Liam Gallagher and Lindsay Lohan, according to CBS News.

Prosecutors released footage this week of alleged victims detailing their claims of sexual assault by the Alexander brothers, accused of drugging and then sexually assaulting and raping dozens of women across multiple states. 

Miami-Dade prosecutors released the videos on Tuesday as part of the state's cases against Oren and Alon Alexander, according to NBC6. 

Tal, 38, and Oren Alexander, 37, two prominent jet-setting brokers in New York and Miami, and their brother Alon Alexander, Oren's identical twin, were arrested in Miami Beach on Dec. 11 and have since been taken into federal custody. 

"I was scared for my life, just because of what I just experienced," one woman whose identity was concealed said in the footage. "Not only the rapes, but just, like, how they were."

WEALTHY FLORIDA REAL ESTATE BROTHERS' 'TROPHIES' UNCOVERED AS JUDGE DENIES BAIL: FEDS

On Dec. 31, 2016, she thought she was meeting Alon Alexander for a barbecue at a Miami Beach condo. But unexpectedly, she said, his twin brother Oren and a third man, Ohad Fisherman, were waiting for her arrival. 

"[Fisherman] just pushed me down and had his knees and hands on my shoulders holding me down," she recalled in the video, according to NBC6. "I was crying, and I know the whole time I was asking them not to do it . . . I was just like 'Please no, please no.'"

The woman claimed that Alon and Oren took turns raping her while Fisherman held her in place, according to her interview with investigators. All three men face sexual battery charges and are awaiting trial; Fisherman is not accused of raping the woman. 

The woman confided in family and friends about the terrifying ordeal but said she was too frightened of the men to report the attack at the time, NBC6 reported.

"They just had this weird presence about them," she said. "It was just very, very, very scary."

HIGH-PROFILE REAL ESTATE BROTHER MISSES HEARING AFTER MIX-UP IN IDENTICAL TWINS' SEX TRAFFICKING CASE

In October 2021, Oren allegedly invited another woman to his Flamingo Drive home. What was initially a flirtatious encounter devolved into assault, she said. 

"I start pulling away and as I pull away, he starts getting aggressive, kissing me, holding me firmly. He ripped the top of my dress," the second woman said in footage released this week. "He pushed me onto his bed, and I laid there stiff and in shock, and he got on top of me."

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Joel Denaro and Edward O'Donnell IV, attorneys representing Oren and Alon, told NBC6 that the accusers' stories "will collapse not only under their own weight but with evidence that will prove they are not believable."

"Aside from the obvious financial reward they are seeking after eight years of not reporting to law enforcement, we will show evidence, witnesses, and motivations contradicting their stories," he told the outlet.

Fisherman's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

LUXURY REAL ESTATE BROTHERS LURED DOZENS OF WOMEN OVER TWO DECADES WITH PROMISE OF LAVISH LIFESTYLE: FEDS

Currently, Oren, Alon and Tal are in federal custody in New York. There, they are facing sex trafficking charges, but they deny allegations against them. 

Law enforcement officers have interviewed over 40 women, who reported "being forcibly raped or sexually assaulted by at least one of the Alexander Brothers," according to a recent letter by the prosecution, obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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In many of these alleged instances, "one or more of the Alexander Brothers drugged their victim prior to the rape," prosecutors wrote in the letter addressed to U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni.

Each of the brothers has separately been accused by at least 10 women of forcible rape between 2002 or 2003 and 2021, according to the letter. 

'DIDDY' MAKES 3RD BAIL ATTEMPT AFTER PROSECUTORS ALLEGE HE BLACKMAILED VICTIMS FROM BEHIND BARS

Authorities executed a warrant on Dec. 11 to search Tal Alexander's apartment inside a skyscraper on Manhattan's "Billionaire's Row." During the search, multiple hard drives were discovered and seized, including one with a large quantity of sexually explicit videos and pictures, according to the letter and prosecutor's statement during a hearing earlier this month.

The apartment was previously shared by Oren and Tal Alexander, the letter continues, adding that the photos and videos were found on a hard drive in a closet that appeared to include items belonging to Oren. 

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The seized photos and videos depict "at least Oren, Alon, and several third parties recording or photographing themselves with women in states of intoxication and undress," and in multiple videos, "the women appear initially unaware that they were being recorded and became upset and attempted to hide or flee from the camera after realizing they were being filmed," prosecutors wrote.  

All three brothers were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and a separate count of sex trafficking of one woman by force, fraud or coercion. In addition, Tal Alexander was charged with the sex trafficking of a second victim.

Earlier this month, Judge Caproni denied bail, finding that the Alexander brothers pose a flight risk and a risk to the community. She said the evidence is strong, adding that the men pose a danger to unsuspecting women.

Alon Alexander appealed that decision on Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

Oren and Tal Alexander co-founded the real estate firm Official, which offers luxury listings in places like New York City, the Hamptons, Miami and Los Angeles, in 2022 after rising through the ranks at Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country, according to prosecutors.

Their past clients include Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Liam Gallagher and Lindsay Lohan, according to CBS News.

Fox News Digital's Mollie Markowitz contributed to this report.

Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a Miami Beach Police officer shot a fellow officer in the leg while struggling with a man on a busy Florida roadway.

Officer Shenaqua Stringer was responding to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person possibly carrying a gun while walking on Venetian Causeway shortly before 12:30 p.m. March 2, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. 

The suspect reached into his pocket to grab an "unknown object" as Stringer approached him, investigators said.  

Stringer drew her gun and began struggling with the man, ordering him to the ground as fellow officer Fabio Balanos arrived. Balanos ran toward the struggle, and Stringer accidentally fired, striking Balanos in his left leg. 

AMERICAN DEPUTY KILLED BY STRAY BULLET ON TURKS AND CAICOS VACATION

Stringer’s body camera was not rolling at the time of the shooting, which was not directly recorded on Balanos' camera. But, moments later, a growing puddle of blood appeared beneath him. 

"Why’d you do that?" the man can be heard asking as he is wrestled to the ground. "Ain’t nobody do nothing. You f---ed up his leg. He’s bleeding a lot."

Stringer then handcuffed the suspect as she called for help. 

"Hurry up, because I need a tourniquet," Balanos said.

GOOD SAMARITAN GROCERY SHOPPER, DAD KILLED WHILE TRYING TO STOP TEEN ROBBERY SUSPECTS

Balanos’ bodycam captured the moment more officers arrived and wrapped a tourniquet around his leg as he wailed in pain and they loaded him into the back of a police cruiser. 

During the ride to the hospital, Balanos asked another officer if he could borrow a phone to call his wife. 

"I’m OK," Balanos told her. "I got shot in the leg. I'm OK though. They’re taking me to Ryder Trauma right now. I’m OK, though. All right, babe? I love you."

The bodycam continued rolling as Balanos arrived at the hospital, showing officers frantically banging on the doors to alert medical staff that they needed help. 

"Open up, let's go," one officer can be heard yelling as they knocked on the hospital doors.

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY CLIMBING OVER WALL AT TRUMP'S MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE

As Balanos was being treated for his injuries at a hospital, officers discovered the suspected handgun the man reached for was a metallic cigarette lighter.

The man was not charged with a crime, and authorities determined he was a missing person from nearby Collier County. 

The situation remains an active internal investigation, and Stringer is still employed by the agency, the Miami Beach Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The district attorney determined there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Stringer. 

The South Florida Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Balanos, a Coast Guard veteran with a combined 18 years of experience working as a law enforcement officer, has made a full recovery and returned to work, according to reports.

Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and their partners conducted nationwide roundups of more than 1,200 illegal immigrants over the weekend who were charged or convicted with committing crimes on American soil.

In a series of photos shared by ICE Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) from coast to coast, agents can be seen taking handcuffed suspects away.

In Atlanta, which is more than 1,000 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border but became a lightning rod in the immigration debate after an illegal immigrant brutally murdered a jogging college student in broad daylight, ERO teamed up with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations to grab "criminal aliens" off the streets and prepare them for deportation flights.

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

Miami-based federal agents arrested at least four illegal immigrants accused of committing crimes on U.S. soil over the weekend, including a Nicaraguan jailed in Broward County for an alleged shooting.

Up north, a joint operation including ICE, the FBI, ATF, DEA, Border Patrol and U.S. Marshals was underway in Chicago, a struggling blue city where Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has vowed to "protect" illegals from enforcement operations.

The "enhanced targeted operations" in the Windy City were designed to "enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities," ICE said in a statement.

Boston ERO announced the arrest of a Haitian man with 17 criminal convictions in Massachusetts, suspected gang member Wisteguens Charles.

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW

"Mr. Charles is illegally present in the United States and has consistently broken our laws, causing significant harm to the residents of Massachusetts," Patricia Hyde, the acting director of the Boston Field Office, said in a statement. "ERO Boston will not tolerate the repeated victimization of our New England neighborhoods. We will continue our mission to apprehend such illegal alien offenders and remove them from our communities."

Charles, 25, first entered the U.S. illegally in 2013 and between 2022 and 2024, he racked up 17 criminal convictions. ICE filed an immigration detainer request in 2023, but a Massachusetts jail ignored it and released him back into the community, authorities said. 

The arrests come as part of what ICE said would be an operation targeting "known criminal aliens who threaten national security or public safety."

President Donald Trump campaigned heavily on border security after his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, appeared ineffective or unwilling to stop an influx of illegal immigration for years. 

By the time he finally acknowledged the issue, a wave of high-profile migrant crimes had shocked the country and shattered victims’ families. The parents of some of those murdered American women and girls went to Capitol Hill to lobby for the Laken Riley Act, the first bill Congress sent to Trump after his return to the White House.

HECKLERS SHOUT DOWN ATHENS MAYOR AS HE DENIES SANCTUARY CITY, ANNOUNCES PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDS

Riley, a 21-year-old Georgia nursing student, was brutally killed at random while jogging in Athens, about 75 miles east of Atlanta, by a Venezuelan illegal with suspected ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. 

Jose Ibarra, 26, was convicted of 10 counts in November and sentenced to life without parole. He had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and received border parole, freeing him to travel within the country.

He racked up criminal charges in New York City, where authorities released him before ICE could lodge a detainer. He then made his way to Georgia, where he attacked and murdered Riley.  

"Removing criminal aliens from our communities isn’t just enforcement — it’s protection," HSI's Atlanta office said in a statement over the weekend as part of the deportation sweep. "Ensuring the safety and security of our neighborhoods starts with upholding the law."

Fox News' Heather Lacy contributed to this report.

The wife of Tal Alexander, a high-profile real estate agent accused last month with his two brothers of drugging and then sexually assaulting and raping dozens of women in multiple states, has reportedly filed for divorce amid the scandal. 

Tal, 38, and Oren Alexander, 37, two prominent jet-setting brokers in New York and Miami, and their brother Alon Alexander, Oren's identical twin, were arrested in Miami Beach Dec. 11 and have since been taken into federal custody. 

"I will continue to provide my young baby with love and support as I leave my husband," Tal Alexander's wife, Arielle Kogut, who recently welcomed a baby with her husband, told the Real Deal in a statement via her attorney confirming the split. 

"This commitment to my child’s best interests and well-being will remain my highest priority."

WEALTHY FLORIDA REAL ESTATE BROTHERS' 'TROPHIES' UNCOVERED AS JUDGE DENIES BAIL: FEDS

Prosecutors allege the Alexander brothers "worked together, and with others known and unknown to repeatedly and violently drug, sexually assault, and rape" victims in New York, Miami and elsewhere, according to a federal indictment filed in December.

According to the charges in the indictment, the three wealthy brothers had conspired in the sex trafficking scheme since at least 2010, but prosecutors have alleged that their sexual violence against women spans more than 20 years, dating as far back as when the men were in high school in Miami.

HIGH-PROFILE REAL ESTATE BROTHER MISSES HEARING AFTER MIX-UP IN IDENTICAL TWINS' SEX TRAFFICKING CASE

Law enforcement officers have interviewed over 40 women who reported "being forcibly raped or sexually assaulted by at least one of the Alexander Brothers," and each of the brothers has separately been accused by at least 10 women of forcible rape between 2002 or 2003 and 2021, according to a recent letter by the prosecution. 

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB 

Investigators say they uncovered "trophies" during a search at Tal Alexander's apartment on Manhattan's "Billionaire's Row," including sexually explicit photos and videos showing "women in states of intoxication and undress."

Other videos found allegedly show Alon and Oren Alexander and other men engaged in sexual contact with women "who are visibly under the influence of alcohol or other substances," the letter continues. In some cases, it added, at least one of the brothers and another man "physically manipulated the women’s bodies in order to have sex with them while the women did not actively participate in the sexual activity or turned away."

"The fact that video versions of trophies of the defendants’ criminal conduct were found in Tal Alexander’s residence as recently as last month also suggests that the defendants have not closed the door on their criminal conduct," prosecutors have argued. 

LUXURY REAL ESTATE BROTHERS LURED DOZENS OF WOMEN OVER TWO DECADES WITH PROMISE OF LAVISH LIFESTYLE: FEDS

The skyscraper apartment was previously shared by Oren and Tal Alexander, and the photos and videos were found on a hard drive in a closet that appeared to include items belonging to Oren. 

All three brothers were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and a separate count of sex trafficking of one woman by force, fraud or coercion. In addition, Tal Alexander was charged with the sex trafficking of a second victim.

As part of their alleged sex trafficking conspiracy, the Alexander brothers "engaged in a persistent pattern of rape and sexual assault, which included both pre-planned trips and events for which the defendants recruited women to attend and then raped and sexually assaulted them, as well as opportunistic rapes and sexual assaults of numerous victims who they encountered by chance," prosecutors say.

'DIDDY' MAKES 3RD BAIL ATTEMPT AFTER PROSECUTORS ALLEGE HE BLACKMAILED VICTIMS FROM BEHIND BARS

Defense attorneys for the three brothers have argued the brothers committed no sexual assaults, and that their relationships with the alleged victims were consensual, according to court records.  

A judge last week said the Alexander brothers will likely be housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the same prison where Sean "Diddy" Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried are being held. The next status conference in the case is scheduled for Jan. 29. 

Tal Alexander's attorney and his wife's attorney did not immediately respond for comment. 

Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.

Three wealthy brothers were accused last month of drugging and then sexually assaulting and raping dozens of women in multiple states, and authorities say new video evidence in the case shows the "depraved" nature of their alleged crimes. 

Tal, 38, and Oren Alexander, 37, two prominent jet-setting brokers in New York and Miami, and their brother Alon Alexander, Oren's identical twin, were arrested in Miami Beach on Dec. 11 and have since been taken into federal custody. 

Law enforcement officers have interviewed over 40 women, who reported "being forcibly raped or sexually assaulted by at least one of the Alexander Brothers," according to a recent letter by the prosecution, obtained by Fox News Digital. 

HIGH-PROFILE REAL ESTATE BROTHER MISSES HEARING AFTER MIX-UP IN IDENTICAL TWINS' SEX TRAFFICKING CASE

In many of these alleged instances, "one or more of the Alexander Brothers drugged their victim prior to the rape," prosecutors wrote in the letter filed last week and addressed to U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni, the New York judge who presided over a hearing in the case on Wednesday. 

Prosecutors on Wednesday argued against setting bail for the brothers, whose "incentives to flee are through the roof," they said, arguing that the Alexanders have significant foreign connections. 

After hearing arguments for three hours, Judge Caproni denied bail, finding the Alexander brothers pose a flight risk and a risk to the community. She said the evidence is strong, adding that the men pose a danger to unsuspecting women. 

Each of the brothers has separately been accused by at least 10 women of forcible rape between 2002 or 2003 and 2021, the letter continues. 

Authorities executed a warrant on Dec. 11 to search Tal Alexander's apartment inside a skyscraper on Manhattan's "Billionaire's Row." During the search, multiple hard drives were discovered and seized, including one with a large quantity of sexually explicit videos and pictures, according to the letter and prosecutor's statement during Wednesday's hearing.

The apartment was previously shared by Oren and Tal Alexander, the letter continues, adding that the photos and videos were found on a hard drive in a closet that appeared to include items belonging to Oren. 

LUXURY REAL ESTATE BROTHERS LURED DOZENS OF WOMEN OVER TWO DECADES WITH PROMISE OF LAVISH LIFESTYLE: FEDS

The seized photos and videos depict "at least Oren, Alon, and several third parties recording or photographing themselves with women in states of intoxication and undress," and in multiple videos, "the women appear initially unaware that they were being recorded and became upset and attempted to hide or flee from the camera after realizing they were being filmed," prosecutors wrote. 

Other videos found in Tal Alexander's apartment show Alon and Oren Alexander and other men engaged in sexual contact with women "who are visibly under the influence of alcohol or other substances," the letter continues, adding that in some cases, at least one of the brothers and another man "physically manipulated the women’s bodies in order to have sex with them while the women did not actively participate in the sexual activity or turned away."

Prosecutors explained that the new evidence reveals the "depraved nature" of the brothers' actions, as well as the "immense danger" they present. 

"The fact that video versions of trophies of the defendants’ criminal conduct were found in Tal Alexander’s residence as recently as last month also suggests that the defendants have not closed the door on their criminal conduct," the letter continues. 

'DIDDY' MAKES 3RD BAIL ATTEMPT AFTER PROSECUTORS ALLEGE HE BLACKMAILED VICTIMS FROM BEHIND BARS

Prosecutors allege that the Alexander brothers "worked together, and with others known and unknown to repeatedly and violently drug, sexually assault, and rape" victims in New York, Miami and elsewhere, according to a federal indictment filed in December.

All three brothers were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and a separate count of sex trafficking of one woman by force, fraud or coercion. In addition, Tal Alexander was charged with the sex trafficking of a second victim.

As part of their sex trafficking conspiracy, the Alexander brothers "engaged in a persistent pattern of rape and sexual assault, which included both pre-planned trips and events for which the defendants recruited women to attend and then raped and sexually assaulted them, as well as opportunistic rapes and sexual assaults of numerous victims who they encountered by chance," prosecutors say.

According to the charges in the indictment, the three brothers had conspired in the sex-trafficking scheme since at least 2010, but prosecutors have alleged that their sexual violence against women actually spans more than 20 years, dating as far back as when the men were in high school in Miami.

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB 

Defense attorneys for the three brothers have argued that they committed no sexual assaults, and that their relationships with the alleged victims were consensual, according to court records.  

Attorneys for Tal Alexander wrote a responding letter to Judge Caproni this week, arguing that the prosecution "fails to detail when the videos were taken, how many videos, if any, the defendants are in, whether the purported participants have been identified, or whether the videos even depict non-consensual sexual activity."

At Wednesday's hearing, Judge Caproni said the women in the videos appear visibly incapacitated, adding, "In my view, that is rape." 

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Oren and Tal Alexander co-founded the real estate firm Official, which offers luxury listings in places like New York City, the Hamptons, Miami and Los Angeles, in 2022 after rising through the ranks at Douglas Elliman, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country, according to prosecutors.

Their past clients include Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Liam Gallagher and Lindsay Lohan, according to CBS News.

Alon Alexander, 37, did not work in real estate, but he socialized with them.

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The Alexander brothers are still in custody in Florida and will be moved to New York next week, the judge added. They will likely be housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), the same prison where Sean "Diddy" Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried are being held. 

The next status conference in the case is scheduled for Jan. 29. 

President Biden’s proclamation removing Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terror caused an uproar in Florida, notably among the president's fellow Democrats.

The rare political unity in the Sunshine State was pronounced after Biden certified on Tuesday that Havana's Miguel Diaz-Canel regime has "not provided any support for international terrorism" during the preceding six-month period.

Biden’s declaration also claimed Havana provided Washington with assurances it will not support terrorism in the future, and that the U.S. maintains its "core objective" of "more freedom and democracy" for the Cuban people.

However, Democratic Floridians were up in arms at the development.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, in heavily-blue Broward County, told Axios on Tuesday that the outgoing president is doing lasting political damage.

"This is Joe Biden literally sinking the Democratic Party in the state of Florida," he said. "Big time."

CUBA'S REPORTED RETURN TO MEDDLING IN US ELECTIONS A ‘BADGE OF HONOR’ FOR TARGETED CRITICS

Once the most notable "swing state" — rife with ballot "hanging chads" and the "Brooks Brothers Riot" of the 2000 election — Florida has seen a major rightward lurch in recent years.

State Gov. Ron DeSantis orchestrated an electoral blowout of Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist in 2022, and President-elect Trump shocked the state by flipping Miami-Dade County red in 2024.

Trump lost Miami-Dade by 30 points in 2020, but won by 11 points in November. The county has a sizable Latino and specifically Cuban-American population — highlighted by its famed "Little Havana" neighborhood along U.S. Highway 41.

"Just as we try to patch the hole in the boat, Biden punches another hole in it," Moskowitz told the outlet. 

"Florida is a red state, and Biden just waved the white flag of surrender."

Meanwhile, Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said she is "disappointed" at the decision.

"We condemn in the strongest terms Cuba's removal from this list, as well as any possible lifting of economic sanctions, and call on the Biden Administration to reverse course immediately."

Fried said in a statement that generations of Floridian Cuban-Americans have shared stories of the Castro regime’s oppression, and that Diaz-Canel is Raul Castro’s "hand-picked successor" as the first non-Castro to lead Cuba since Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by the Castro brothers in 1959.

Following the terror-sponsored designation change, Havana officials reportedly pledged to release more than 500 political prisoners — for which the Catholic Church had been negotiating for some time.

As the news fell just ahead of Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing to be Trump’s secretary of state, a spokesperson for Biden told Axios the timing is strictly coincidental.

Rubio is one of several lawmakers — and residents — of South Florida whose parents or grandparents fled the Communist nation.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. — the only Cuban-born member of Congress — called Biden a "pathetic coward" for his decision to drop Cuba’s terror-sponsor designation.

‘BLOODIED’ LITTLE HAVANA DEMONSTRATOR SLAMS BIDEN: ‘CUBANS DON’T WANT VACCINES, THEY WANT FREEDOM'

Gimenez added that Rubio will "pulverize the [Castro/Diaz-Canel] regime once and for all."

He told Fox News Digital that Biden’s decision is "morally bankrupt" and geopolitically "treacherous," for a malign regime that sits less than 90 miles from the edge of his own congressional district’s Monroe County boundary.

Gimenez went on to warn that the decision ignores Cuba’s coziness with the Chinese Communist Party, and intelligence sharing with Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega.  

"The [Cuban] dictatorship must be confronted and isolated — never appeased."

He praised Florida leaders from Biden’s side of the aisle for being willing to speak out at such an important time.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican whose Miami-Dade district abuts Gimenez', said he is "disgusted but not surprised" by what he called Biden's "final acts of betrayal to the security interests of the United States."

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As Moskowitz and other Democrats warn of the damage being done to the Democratic Party by moves such as the removal of Cuba’s terror-sponsor designation, several Florida Democrats have fled the party and praised Trump in recent weeks.

Maureen Porras, the vice-mayor of Doral, Florida — the tony Miami suburb where Trump owns a golf club and resort — told The Floridian her now-former party "prioritized minority opinions" and "neglected to… address the real issues affecting our community." 

Meanwhile, State Reps. Susan Valdes of Tampa and Hillary Cassel of Hallandale Beach, Florida, recently changed their affiliation from Democratic to Republican.