NAME RELEASED IN FATAL TAVERNIER BOAT CRASH

a boat is docked at the end of a dock
Law enforcement vessels approach the scene of a boat crash in the mangroves in Tavernier on May 6. CONTRIBUTED

Monroe County detectives and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation officers were called to Tavernier’s Old Settlers Park the morning of May 6 after a body was found floating in the water from a suspected boat crash. 

Not far from the park, law enforcement discovered a boat lodged in the mangroves near Driftwood Trailer Park in Tavernier. According to FWC, a 23-foot Sea Fox was traveling on the oceanside near MM 92 on May 5 when the boat collided with a dock. The operator of the boat, Paul Anthony Benavides, 28, of Key Largo, was thrown from the vessel.

Benavides’ body was recovered the next day. An investigation continues into the incident

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Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.