MIAMI — Banging on pots and pans and waving Cuban flags, people poured into the streets of the largely Cuban-American section of Miami early Saturday to celebrate news that many have waited more than a half century to hear.

Fidel Castro was dead.

“I knew this day would come. He's done a lot of damage to my country,” said Pedro Segrera, 73.

Segrera said he moved to Miami in 1960 when he was 17, and even though it was past his normal bedtime when he heard the news, he had to go out into the street.

Many joined him.

Castro's death triggered an emotional and long-awaited celebration in Miami's large Cuban-American community.

It also propelled South Florida's Cuban community, young and old, through a spectrum of emotions. There were sighs of relief. There was anger and hostility. The old guard of Cuban exiles, the first to flee Castro's iron-fisted rule, vented seething resentment. Others were somber with reflection. There was hope, tempered by skepticism, that Castro's passing would at long last usher positive change for the island nation.

“We need for the people of Cuba to have the freedom we have in the U.S., but this changes nothing. There won't be change until the people revolt,” said Juan Cobas, 50, who came to the U.S. at age 13 from Cuba.

Others saw Castro's death as a sign that a generation that has ruled Cuba for nearly 60 years is passing from the world stage, with many noting that his brother, current President Raul Castro, is 85.

“I'm feeling this is the beginning of the end,” said Alex Pineiro, 32. “Fidel was the architect of what's going on. It's a mix of emotions, I'm happy he's dead, but I'm celebrating hope.”

Within hours of the announcement of Castro's death at age 90, thousands of people whooped in jubilation on Calle Ocho — 8th Street, and the heart of Little Havana. Corks and empty Champagne bottles lined the sidewalks of 8th Street, near the Versailles restaurant, a hub of the South Florida Cuban exile community. Honking horns and strains of salsa music from car stereos echoed against stucco buildings, and fireworks lit up the sky.

“Cuba si! Castro no!” people chanted, while others screamed “Cuba libre!”

Celebration, not grief, permeated the atmosphere. Castro has cast a shadow over Miami for decades, and in many ways, his policy and his power have shaped the city and its inhabitants.

“We're not celebrating that someone died, but that this is finished,” said 30-year-old Erick Martinez, who emigrated from Cuba four years ago.

There were no reports of violence or any arrests during the demonstrations, Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Fallat said Saturday.

“They are celebrating but in a very peaceful way,” Fallat said of the demonstrators.

Cubans fled the island to Miami, Tampa, New Jersey and elsewhere after Castro took power in 1959.

Some were loyalists of Fulgencio Batista, the president before Castro, while others left with the hope they would be able to return soon, after Castro was toppled. He never was.

Some tried for years to find a way to remove Castro by force, including the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. Rafael Torre, 80, took part in that battle and wore a “Bay of Pigs Veteran” shirt to Saturday's demonstration.

“We tried for more than 50 years but couldn't do it. Now he's dead, and maybe things can change,' Torre said. “It might take three or four years. Maybe the revolution will be on the streets in three or four months.”

Others said they believed they would never be free under Castro and his communist regime. Thousands left behind their possessions, loved ones, and hard-earned educations and businesses, traveling to the U.S. by plane, boat or raft. Many Cubans died on the ocean trip to South Florida.

The ones who made it to Miami took a largely, and vehemently, anti-Castro stance.

“He should not be revered. He should be reviled,” said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican who was born in Cuba.

Some U.S. politicians warned that his brother will merely keep up Fidel Castro's abuses.

“Sadly, Fidel Castro's death does not mean freedom for the Cuban people or justice for the democratic activists, religious leaders, and political opponents he and his brother have jailed and persecuted,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. “The dictator has died, but the dictatorship has not.”

Gabriel Morales, a 40-year-old financial executive, monitored social media early Saturday from his home in Miami. His parents both left Cuba decades ago. His father left Cuba before Castro took over, and then returned to visit during Castro's regime. He vowed never to return until the regime changed, Morales said.

Morales' mother left after Castro assumed power; her family had their property taken by the government, Morales said.

“Feels weird,” Morales said in a text message to an Associated Press reporter. “Been waiting to hear this news all my life. Seems unreal.”

Sun Sentinel's Jake Cline, Johnny Diaz, Erika Pesantes and Tonya Alanez and The Washington Post and Associated Press contributed.

mwclary@sun-sentinel.com