Prominent businessman charged with homicide in teen girl's boat death

A salient Florida existent property developer facing a homicide complaint turned himself successful to authorities past week, 2 years aft his engagement successful a 2022 vessel clang disconnected the seashore of Miami that killed a teenage girl. 

George Pino, 54, was operating a 29-foot vessel with his woman and 12 minors contiguous connected Sept. 4, 2022 erstwhile helium crashed into a transmission marker adjacent Boca Chita Key, which killed 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez and earnestly injured different 17-year-old and a 16-year-old, according to prosecutors and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Pino appeared successful a Miami-Dade Court connected Thursday surrounded by dozens of relatives and friends successful the courtroom, the Miami Herald reported. He pleaded not blameworthy to a felony homicide complaint successful the fatal September 2022 incident.

"I americium dismayed by the State’s surprise-decision to record this felony complaint much than 2 years later," Pino's attorney, Howard Srebnick, told Fox News Digital successful a statement, successful part. 

PARENTS OF FLORIDA TEEN WHO DIED IN BOATING CRASH SAY REPORT RULING OUT ALCOHOL AS FACTOR IS 'INSULTING'

Luciana Fernandez was a 17-year-old precocious schoolhouse pupil astatine the clip of the fatal crash. (Instagram/ The Lucy Fernandez Foundation)

George Pino, 54, has been charged with homicide successful the boating decease of 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez. (George Pino's lawyer Howard Srebnick)

A justice past week ordered Pino beryllium booked into jailhouse connected a complaint of vessel homicide/operate successful reckless mode successful the 2022 crash. He has since been released, according to his Miami-Dade lawsuit file. 

Pino, who took the vessel retired to observe his daughter's birthday, declined a blood-alcohol level trial instantly aft the clang and told officials helium wanted an lawyer present, according to the FWC study and a civilian lawsuit.

FWC's probe into the incident past twelvemonth recovered that Pino was not impaired by drugs oregon intoxicant portion operating the vessel owed to the boat's driving pattern. 

"It is insulting to our family, who has had nary prime but to judge the consequences of the accident, to present besides beryllium forced to judge the galore inconsistencies refuted by the FWC report," Andres and Melissa Fernandez, Luciana’s parents, said successful a erstwhile connection to Fox News Digital. 

VIRAL SENSATION 'LIEUTENANT DAN' ARRESTED FOR BOAT BEING 'PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD': POLICE

George Pino's vessel crashed into a transmission marker connected Sept. 4, 2022, sidesplitting 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez and injuring 10 others. (FWC report)

However, caller assemblage camera footage of Pino speaking with FWC officers aft the crash, released past month, showed Pino admitting to having 2 beers but declining to springiness a humor sample, and authorities said helium besides refused a breathalyzer, NBC6 reported. 

Prosecutors re-evaluated the lawsuit and filed the caller complaint aft a caller witnesser – a Miami-Dade firefighter who responded to the vessel clang – came guardant and told prosecutors intoxicant was a origin successful the crash, an lawyer for the Fernandez household told the outlet. 

A full of 61 bare intoxicant bottles and cans, 1 bare champagne vessel and a half-full liquor vessel were recovered connected board, according to the FWC.

"Officers connected the country of the clang determined that Pino was not intoxicated; Pino did not transcend immoderate posted velocity limit, Pino had the required fig of Coast Guard-approved beingness preservers connected committee the vessel, and contempt sustaining a caput wounded himself (requiring 15 stitches), Pino made heroic efforts to rescue the injured passengers, including diving nether the capsized boat," Pino's lawyer continued successful the connection to Fox News Digital.

OVER A DOZEN PEOPLE RESCUED AFTER WAVE THROWS BOATERS INTO FLORIDA WATERS: AUTHORITIES

The vessel capsized pursuing the clang and bully Samaritans, on with responding agencies, recovered victims from the water. (FWC report)

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office initially charged Pino with 3 misdemeanors, including 1 number of careless cognition of a vas causing decease and 2 counts of careless cognition of a vas causing serious bodily injury. 

The misdemeanor charges were dropped connected Oct. 31, and the homicide complaint was filed past month. 

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"I anticipation that the State Attorney volition soon admit that this was a tragic accident—not a crime, overmuch little a felony—and volition disregard the complaint alternatively than pursuing a proceedings that volition unnecessarily unit everyone affected to relive this nightmare successful a nationalist courtroom," Srebnick said successful his statement. 

Pino's adjacent proceeding is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2025. 

Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.