[1] Fascell joined the Florida National Guard in 1941 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1942, serving in the African, Sicilian, and Italian Campaigns during World War II, eventually rising to the rank of captain.

Fascell was the sole Democratic representative from the state of Florida (1 of 7) to not sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto.

Fascell cosponsored the War Powers Act of 1973 and he won aid for Cuban-Americans who had settled in his district.

[12] He worked to repeal the Clark Amendment, allowing the U.S. government to send aid to UNITA rebels in Angola, as a partner in the Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly lobbying firm.

[14] The Dante B. Fascell North-South Center Act of 1991 established the prestigious think tank at the University of Miami.