Marathon charter captain James “Jimmy Gags” Gagliardini won’t go down in history as a felon. And he says the “dock pets” at his home base behind Bluegreen Resort are thankful.
In late July, news of Gagliardini’s arrest – complete with charges of assault, interfering with fishermen and reckless operation of a vessel – shocked those who knew him. Even wilder than his charges, picked up after confronting vacationing kayak fishermen casting their lines where he tosses his fish carcasses after charters, were the versions of the story painted by certain news outlets.
If you didn’t know better, reading the initial reports, you might think Jimmy Gags finally earned the venerable title of “Florida Man” – High Caliber Sport Fishing’s deranged captain, protecting a resident school of tarpon, grouper and sharks, churning up a whirlpool and soaking kayakers with his outboard. But as he tells it, that’s not exactly what happened.
“Most of the time (when people are fishing in the marina), I walk up to the bow and say ‘Guys, please don’t fish here. You’re not doing anything illegal, I’m just asking you as nicely as I can.’ 98% of the time, they say ‘all right.’ These guys fired off at me with both barrels.”
“I read the police report, and after reading it, if I didn’t know any better, I was siding with the kayakers,” said Gagliardini. “But that’s not what happened. They told me that it was public water and they could do whatever they wanted. So, I jumped in my skiff, idled around, and went between them and the dock. Then, I put the bow against the finger pier and just put it in gear.”
According to police reports, the kayakers told officers they feared for their lives as Gagliardini attempted to capsize them. According to him, he’s not that creative.
“I didn’t get anyone wet or anything,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t even think of anything cool like that.”
And after viewing the footage and speaking with defense attorney Hal Schuhmacher, Gagliardini said, prosecutors eventually agreed, dropping all but one misdemeanor citation according to Monroe County court records. Charges for High Caliber captain Eric Wink, involved in the altercation as well, were also dropped.
“I agreed that I was interfering with fishermen,” Gagliardini said. “That’s exactly what I was doing.”
Now, he told the Weekly, he’s rallying support for a local ordinance that would ban fishing within 100 feet of a commercial dock. He plans to start a formal petition with signatures to present to the Marathon City Council.
“It’s one of the few places where tourists can get up close and personal with the local wildlife,” he said. “Let’s prevent this from ever happening again.”
When all is said and done, Gagliardini said, his reward for the ordeal greets him every day as he walks to his boat.
“My ‘dock pets’ thank me every day,” Gagliardini laughed, a call back to a phrase quoted ad nauseum in initial media reports. “I told them they should – I went to jail for them.”
Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
