Broker George Pino Found Not Guilty In 17-Year-Old's Boat Crash Death
A jury found George Pino, CEO of Doral-based State Street Realty, not guilty of felony charges following a 2022 boating collision that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old girl and the serious injury of one of her high school classmates.
A Miami-Dade jury on Monday acquitted Pino of felony manslaughter and vessel homicide charges, which could have resulted in up to 30 years in prison if convicted. The verdict followed a two-week trial at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, the Miami Herald reported.
On Sept. 4, 2022, Pino drove a 29-foot Robalo boat into a concrete mile marker near Boca Chita Key at nearly 50 mph. The crash ejected the vessel's 14 passengers, most of whom were friends of Pino's daughter, who was celebrating her 18th birthday.
Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, a 17-year-old Our Lady of Lourdes Academy student, died from her injuries. Her 17-year-old classmate at the time, Katerina Puig, now 21, suffered a traumatic brain injury, leaving her disabled and in a wheelchair.
Courtroom emotions were high following the verdict. Pino reportedly gestured a tearful “thank you” to the jurors before embracing his friends and family. Loved ones of Fernandez remained quiet and left the room once jurors were excused.
“Sadly, I know that this verdict brings no comfort to the Fernandez and Puig families who forever must live with the tragedy of what happened,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “In a case like this, there are no winners or losers. Mr. Pino must live with what he did, while the Fernandez and Puig families will grapple with the consequences of his actions.”
Pino provided Bisnow with a statement from his attorney, Howard Srebnick, stating that the crash was not a crime but an accident.
“We continue to mourn the loss of Lucy Fernandez, pray for those who will forever be affected by this maritime misfortune, and hope that the verdict allows everyone to continue the long process of healing,” Srebnick said in the statement.
Miami-Dade prosecutors first charged Pino with three misdemeanors of careless operation of a vessel in August 2023 after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission concluded its investigation of the crash.
In the final report, the FWC said it didn't conduct a field sobriety test because Pino wasn’t suspected of being under the influence while driving the boat. Pino told an officer on the scene he had “two beers” while on the boat. The day after the crash, 61 alcohol bottles and cans were found on the boat, the Herald reported.
The misdemeanor charges were dropped to pursue the felony charge in November 2024 following a new statement from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue firefighter Mathew Smiley, one of the first on the scene of the crash, stating Pino had shown signs of being intoxicated after the crash.
Prosecutors added the manslaughter charge in early 2025 following testimony from girls who were on the boat claiming they were drinking the alcohol on Pino's boat, the Herald reported.
Prosecutors claimed that Pino had nine seconds to steer away from the mile marker he eventually collided with — enough time had he been paying attention, The Real Deal reported.
The defense for Pino heavily relied on testimony from passengers on the boat who claimed he was not driving recklessly or acting impaired.
“The eyewitness testimony from passengers, Good Samaritans and first-responders proved that Mr. Pino was not alcohol-impaired, was not speeding, and joined efforts to rescue passengers in the moments after he sustained a traumatic brain injury,” Srebnick said.
Pino has more than 30 years of real estate brokerage, land development and property management experience. Throughout that time, he has completed nearly $2B in sales and more than 30M SF in leasing transactions.
He has been a longtime executive at brokerage and advisory firm State Street Realty, serving as president for 13 years and CEO since November 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile.
