Bay of Pigs veteran Felix Rodriguez was recently featured in a campaign mailer sent to Hialeah residents by former Councilman Bryan Calvo, which claimed Felix had endorsed him. The veteran has since released a video publicly denying the endorsement, sparking backlash over the use of his name and the Brigade flag on political messaging.
In actuality, Felix retracted his endorsement of Calvo.
Residents began receiving the mailer in September, with Felix’s name and likeness presented as a supporter of Calvo. Soon after, Felix appeared in an online video stating that he was not endorsing anyone in the race for Mayor in Hialeah.
In a separate video posted by Calvo himself, Felix can be seen explicitly clarifying that he is not backing Calvo’s campaign. The video has raised additional questions because Calvo displayed the flag of Brigade 2506, the Bay of Pigs veterans’ association, without permission. Members of the Cuban exile community say the flag represents sacrifice, patriotism, and the memory of those who lost their lives, and that its use in this context shows a lack of respect and understanding of its solemn meaning.
The denial has raised concerns in Hialeah, where Felix is revered for his role in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, a defining moment in the Cuban exile community’s history.
This is not the first time Calvo has faced questions about his actions. In 2023, he filed a lawsuit against Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo over access to 911-center emails, which a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge dismissed with prejudice in early 2024 because it lacked merit.
The City of Hialeah estimates that the lawsuit and related record requests cost taxpayers nearly $66,000 in legal fees. During Bryan Calvo's race for Miami-Dade Tax Collector, it became known that Calvo appeared to have benefited for years from a tax exemption intended for low-income families when he moved back into his parents’ home. When it was discovered, Calvo’s parents had to pay thousands in back taxes and lost the exemption.
There is a concerning pattern in Calvo's history that is raising alarming flags for the residents of Hialeah.
