MIAMI – The Miami-Dade County Commission voted Tuesday to name a street after the late Jose Fernandez.
A section of Nothwest 17th Avenue between U.S. Highway 1 and the Miami River will be named after the Marlins pitcher who died, along with two others, in a September boating accident off Miami Beach.
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Commissioner Bruno Barreiro sponsored the legislation and it was approved by the entire commission in a consent vote.
In a consent vote, commissioners do not vote yes or no on a particular item.
The street naming is controversial as the autopsy report showed Fernandez, 24, had cocaine and alcohol in his system the night he died.
Commissioners felt his life before the accident justified the honor.
"His legacy as a player, as a human being, prior to this tragic accident cannot be overshadowed by the unfortunate circumstance, that he paid dearly with," Barreiro told Local 10.
However, at least one county commissioner felt more time may have been needed before naming the street after Fernandez.
"I probably would have been more comfortable providing my advice to the prime sponsor to have it deferred or withdrawn," Commission Chair Jean Monestime said when asked how he would have individually voted. "But that wasn't the case."