MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – A 72-year-old Charlotte County man is facing a vessel homicide charge in the Florida Keys after state wildlife officers said he was responsible for the death of a spearfisherman in the Florida Straits over the summer.
Charlotte County deputies took Palmer Reid Long Jr., of Placida, into custody on Monday in connection with the July 5 crash, which happened about five miles south of Bahia Honda State Park.
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Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Long killed Israel “Kiko” Boza as he sped through the area.
Authorities said Long was seen on GoPro footage looking at another diver holding his hand up in a “slow down” gesture, but kept speeding through the area.
“The GoPro video footage clearly showed Mr. Long acknowledging both by sight and by hand/arm gesture that there were snorkelers in the area,” the warrant states. “Footage captures him directly looking at the (snorkeler).”
The vessel Boza was on had a dive flag displayed, authorities said.
“Mr. Long approached (the boat) with an un-obstructed, unfurled dive flag yet did not look out for any persons in the water to avoid injuring or killing them,” investigators wrote. “Once Mr. Long did see snorkelers in the water, Long took no evasive actions and failed to come to idle speed. It is at this moment that his operation of (his boat) constitutes reckless operation. The GoPro camera footage showed that Mr. Long looked back at (the other boat) and the snorkelers in the water and continued (traveling) at a high rate of speed to the east.”
Authorities said Long didn’t stop to render aid and instead went back to his house in Key Colony Beach.
They said he “should have reasonably known that operating a vessel at a high rate of speed with no proper lookout through a dive area with multiple swimmers in the water would likely cause death or great bodily injury to others in the water.”
Following his arrest Monday, Long was released from the Charlotte County jail on a $150,000 bond.
Local 10 News contacted Long’s attorney seeking comment.
Read the arrest warrant: