Investigators are still trying to piece together the circumstances of how a 39-foot boat managed to crash into the Sunset Grill in Ruskin.
One thing is for sure, well-known charter Captain Matt Santiago, was going way too fast in the SeaVee brand boat, authorities say.
Santiago was cited for reckless operation after the boat — traveling up to 50 mph — barreled more than 50 feet on the beach and into the restaurant, officials said.
An investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission continues.
Boating experts struggle to understand how it came to this. Other charter captains who work in the area say he had no business boating in Monday’s sea fog. They question why he was not at idle speed as he got close to the Little Harbor Resort
Santiago isn’t talking. WFLA-TV found him at home Thursday. He declined to comment and shut the front door.
WFLA-TV did some digging and found this isn’t the first time Santiago was cited for driving too fast in idle zones. His neighbors say he’s known for speeding behind their homes. It’s a close-knit community.
WFLA-TV tracked down Santiago’s car yesterday at friend’s house, where the boat is typically docked. The owner of the house, James Johnigean, is the president of Servpro – the company in charge of cleaning up the restaurant’s mess.
Johnigean and Santiago are good friends, and the former’s 18-year-old son was even on the boat when it crashed.
“It’s just a mere coincidence,” Johnigean told WFLA-TV.
Little Harbor management said they were unaware of these close connections when they hired Servpro. But they say they are happy with the work so far and think this business was the best choice for this cleanup.
Meanwhile, workers have made a lot of progress and hope to open the sports and tiki bar this weekend. They hope to open the rest of the restaurant and entertaining facility next week.
Tim Sanborn is a lucky man. He was sitting in a white plastic chair in the sand Monday at Little Harbor. That same chair was smashed by the Sea Vee as it slammed into the Sunset Grill.
“It sounded like a freight train,” Sanborn said.
The only thing that saved him was the feeling he needed to send his girlfriend an email. He stepped away from the beach, minutes before the crash.
“It was just really prophetic because I just knew that the reason I got up was the right thing and that God was telling me to do the right thing,” Sanborn said. “The last couple of nights, I haven’t slept through the night.”