Man killed in boat hit-and-run was CEO of Miami-area medical convention firm
The North Miami man killed in a boating hit-and-run crash Wednesday night was the founder and CEO of a company that provided services for medical professionals attending international conferences and meetings, according to the firm’s website and other social media.
Davide Veglia, 55, was in an inflatable dinghy with his 14-year-old son in the Meloy Channel of Biscayne Bay when the dinghy was struck by a large, four-engine boat between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state police agency investigating the crash, said.
READ MORE: Have you seen this boat? FWC needs help finding Miami Beach hit-and-run vessel
The FWC is still looking for the boat, described by the agency as a Crossover brand cabin cruiser between 40 and 43 feet in length and is asking for the public’s help in finding the vessel.
Veglia founded ABTS Convention Services in 1995 when he was a 25-year-old international travel and tourism student in South Florida, according to the company’s website. The company is based in North Bay Village.
“He had identified a gap that no one else was filling: international physicians traveling to U.S. medical meetings had no dedicated partner who spoke their languages, understood their cultures, or managed the logistics of getting them from their home countries to the meeting,” the company said in a post memorializing Veglia.
The company has offices in Miami-Dade County and Belgrade, Serbia, the website states.
READ MORE: They heard screams in the water — Miami Beach witnesses recount boat hit-run
‘Rare leader’
“Davide was known across the medical meetings industry for his personal involvement in every client relationship, his fierce loyalty, and his belief that international attendance strengthens the global reach of medical education,” the company said.
According to a LinkedIn post by one of Veglia’s colleagues, he was survived by two sons, including the boy injured in the crash, and his wife.
“Davide was an icon in the meetings and events industry, but more than that, he was a builder of people. He led with vision, generosity, and a quiet strength that made you believe anything was possible. He was the rare leader who gave more than he took, who lifted others as he climbed, and who made you better simply by being in his presence,” wrote Anthony Prusak, who said of Veglia, “He was my mentor. He was my friend.”
Veglia and his son were in their 7-foot dinghy in the channel, which is near Indian Creek and Biscayne Pointe, when it was struck by the boat, which did not stop after impact, according to the FWC. Both were taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Veglia died. The condition of the Veglia’s son was not immediately available.
The agency is asking anyone with information about the boat or who may have video of the crash the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
