At least three people died over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend after a boat capsized on the Caloosahatchee River, according to reporting from News-Press.
At least one other person involved in the accident remained in “critical but stable condition” as of Monday morning.
The incident happened around 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, near the Cape Coral Yacht Club and involved an MTI 390 powerboat that flipped while carrying at least four people onboard. All four were sent into the water.
A 50-year-old man has died after losing consciousness following a scuba dive at a Key West shipwreck over the weekend, according to local media.
Nicholas James Strazzulla, a certified diving instructor of Inverness, Florida, lost consciousness following the 150-to-200-foot dive to the USNS Hoyt S. Vanderberg. The former missile tracking ship was intentionally sunk nearly seven miles south of Key West in 2009 to be used as an artificial reef, according to the Miami Herald.
He was brought back to the dive boat and others in the group he was with performed CPR on him, officials told local media. He died at the Lower Keys Medical Center.
At least two people were injured over the weekend when the boat they were on hit a channel marker in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from ABC Channel 7 News.
The incident happened Sunday, Nov. 16, when the boat hit the 74A channel marker in Cowpens Cut, west of Plantation Key, the U.S. Coast Guard said in an online statement. The marker was missing from the structure immediately following this incident.
Both people aboard the vessel were rescued by a nearby Good Samaritan and were taken to the hospital.
As e-bike regulations in Florida continue to evolve, riders face a patchwork of questions concerning liability and fault, especially in the Florida Keys.
Thanks to the provisions already in effect with Senate Bill 462, which took effect in July 2025, local governments may create minimum age limits, among other regulations. This allows every city to create their own standards based on their local traffic and safety concerns, including setting a minimum age limit. But, as legislators consider House Bill 243, which aims to establish statewide regulations, the rules could shift once more.
HB 243 is still under review, however, if it passes in its current form, it could go into effect by July 1, 2027. HB 243 would prohibit certain high-powered “electric motorcycles” from being operated by people under 16 and would require a license to operate Class 3 e-bikes.
A man was attacked by a shark on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys and told local media he was bitten nearly a dozen times.
Yosvany Echevarria, 46, of Hialeah, said he was attacked in Biscayne Bay while snorkeling off Boca Chita Key with friends. The incident, CBS News Miami reported, happened before 11:30 a.m. when a shark “suddenly lunged” at Echevarria. While speaking with reporters, Echevarria said he was bitten between seven and eight times on his hand and arm.
Luckily, he said, the group was close to shore and was able to quickly call for help. Emergency responders took him to Jackson South Medical Center where he received 27 stitches in total to repair the damage.
A man was attacked by a shark on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys and told local media he was bitten nearly a dozen times.
Yosvany Echevarria, 46, of Hialeah, said he was attacked in Biscayne Bay while snorkeling off Boca Chita Key with friends. The incident, CBS News Miami reported, happened before 11:30 a.m. when a shark “suddenly lunged” at Echevarria. While speaking with reporters, Echevarria said he was bitten between seven and eight times on his hand and arm.
Luckily, he said, the group was close to shore and was able to quickly call for help. Emergency responders took him to Jackson South Medical Center where he received 27 stitches in total to repair the damage.
At least two children were hospitalized, one with life-threatening injuries, after a man accused of being under the influence slammed into them on a WaveRunner along Florida’s Gulf Coast this week, according to reporting from local media.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, near Madeira Beach where multiple adults were allegedly racing near where a man was riding a jet ski with two young children.
One man, identified by the Pinella’s County Sheriff’s Office as 48-year-old Daniel Patrick Grubert, of Piermont, New York, has since been charged with two counts of boating under the influence, causing serious bodily injury. Grubert was also charged with one count of reckless operation of a vessel.
Monroe County, a cluster of islands off Florida’s southern coast, is accustomed to an influx of tourists during events like Halloween, but, this year, the sheriff is emphasizing one priority above all — public safety.
In an advisory posted Monday, Oct. 20, to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office official Facebook page, Sheriff Rick Ramsey noted that the increased crowds in the keys in the week leading up to Halloween might cause traffic and other issues.
“So, look for officers giving you directions, but, more so, look for these kids who dart out of nowhere … ” he said. “Put your phones down, no distracted driving.”
The woman who was found unresponsive Thursday afternoon while snorkeling off Key West died at the hospital, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Jessica Murray, 44, was found around 12:30 p.m. and was brought to shore by members of the U.S. Coast Guard. She was taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island where she died.
Investigators said they do not believe that foul play is a factor in Murray’s death.
Loved ones of a man, 20, who died in a personal watercraft incident in a Kendall canal spoke with local media to remember him.
The body of Name, of place, was found around Saturday morning in a canal in southwest Miami-Dade County, according to reporting from Channel 10 News. Name was reported as a missing boater to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials around 7 p.m. Friday. His body was found near Southwest 117th Avenue and Bird Road.
Though reporters spoke with loved ones, no name or other identifiers were shared as of Monday.
