The Florida Department of Law Enforcement contacted the registered owner of Florida speedboat FL7726SH involved in a deadly clash with Cuban forces near Corralillo on February 25, 2026, confirming between 11:46 PM UTC February 25 and 1:46 AM UTC February 26 that the owner, a 65-year-old Cuban-born man in Miami, reported the vessel stolen after notification, according to journalists Danamarie McNicholl of Fox News and NewsNation's Libbey Dean citing sources and FDLE. The boat had been docked at a marina in the Florida Keys, and the owner is not considered a suspect, as stated by McNicholl via MagJorgeCastro on X and a source to Dean. This follows U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's earlier announcement on February 25 that the U.S. is gathering data to verify Cuban reports of the incident 1 nautical mile northeast of El Pino channel in Cayo Falcones territorial waters, where Cuban forces claimed to kill four and wound six after the boat allegedly fired first. Cuban government released names of those involved in the Villa Clara armed incident during the reporting window, according to CiberCuba. U.S. authorities continue investigations, building on Rubio's prior confirmation that the vessel carried no U.S. government personnel. Separate unverified X posts during the period claimed a U.S. unmanned military vessel was sent 30km from Cuba's coast, sourced from agusanntonetti, while Cuban exile activist MagJorgeCastro previously accused the regime of mislabeling crew as mercenaries.
