A 55-year-old North Bay Village businessman died in a hit-and-run boat crash in Biscayne Bay that also sent his 14-year-old son to the hospital. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released pictures of the boat they believe possibly struck Davide Veglia and his son before fleeing the scene. According to the FWC, a 20 to 30-foot vessel hit the father and son’s boat and kept going.
Veglia founded ABTS Convention Services 31 years ago, a company that provides comprehensive solutions for medical associations. “Davide Veglia founded ABTS Convention Services 31 years ago on the belief that international physicians attending U.S. medical meetings deserved a dedicated partner who understood their languages, their cultures, and their needs,” the company said in a statement. The North Bay Village-based business has served dozens of major medical associations and supported hundreds of thousands of international attendees worldwide.
Joao Moraes, founder of Brazilian Soccer Training Center in Aventura, struggled to process the loss of his business partner and close friend. “I can’t stand God took this man, too young,” Moraes said. “I lost my best friend.” Moraes met Veglia through his soccer school, where one of Veglia’s sons used to play, and the two men eventually became business partners.
“Davide, my friend, the best friend, I miss in my life, great passion with soccer, with everything,” Moraes said. The two friends had spoken Wednesday morning and were scheduled to have lunch Friday. Moraes said he talked with Veglia just hours before the fatal crash occurred.
“I’m in shock. Today, I was supposed to go to the soccer school, I can’t, I sat down all day and cried because I lost the best person in my life,” Moraes said. The impact of Veglia’s death extended beyond his immediate family to his business associates and the broader medical meetings industry. ABTS Convention Services described Veglia as deeply respected across the medical meetings industry.
“Davide was deeply respected across the medical meetings industry for his energy, his commitment to every client relationship, and his conviction that international attendance advances the global impact of medical education,” the company statement said. The 14-year-old son survived the crash and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continues investigating the hit-and-run incident and has released photographs of the suspected vessel to aid in their search for the boat operator who fled the scene.