Florida lawmaker calls for independent probe after 4 FWC officers’ bodycam video of boat crash response was deleted
A state lawmaker has particular concerning questions into the boat crash that claimed the life of a South Florida teenager and injured another Now she s calling on legislators to investigate Florida State Rep Vicki Lopez the lawmaker who spearheaded a boating safety law after the Sept crash is now calling for an independent probe into the investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because video from body-worn cameras that four of its officers wore at the crash site was deleted According to The Miami Herald the four FWC officers who were working the accident that night uploaded their bodycam video but misclassified it That led to the video being deleted Investigators explained prominent Miami real estate mogul George Pino was at the helm of a -foot Robalo boat when it crashed into a Biscayne Bay channel marker Seventeen-year-old Luciana Fernandez one of the injured passengers later died from her injuries Brent Fannin with the grassroots coalition Wild Florida Alliance criticized the deletion of the footage It s fully unacceptable when it comes to a man who s killed a young girl he noted Lopez who championed a tougher boating safety law in honor of Fernandez an Our Lady of Lourdes Academy learner took to Instagram to comment on the matter Her post reads in part Not one not two but four officers classified this horrific accident as incidental despite their protocol requiring that any accident with serious bodily injury or death be classified as such Lopez goes on to say Assume for a moment that they all made a mistake They still had plenty of time to correct their error since body camera footage is not deleted for days It is obvious that a full inquiry is warranted into what really happened on that harrowing day In bodycam video that did survive one officer is heard reminding another to check for signs that the boat operator Pino had been drinking Nothing happened that night other than that particular gentleman admitted that he had had two beers and nothing was done He was allowed to leave commented Lopez Another video did record the conversation between Pino and an officer I d like to ask your permission to draw your blood It s up to you thoroughly declared an officer No I had two beers mentioned Pino There were several partially full bottles of alcohol on board but Pino s attorney s stated they were collected from other boats Pino is now facing a charge of felony vessel homicide He faces years in prison if convicted The bill that Lopez sponsored is scheduled to become law July st
