A 55-year-old North Bay Village business owner died and his 14-year-old son was injured when their 7-foot inflatable dinghy was struck by a larger vessel in a hit-and-run crash in Biscayne Bay’s Meloy Channel. Davide Veglia, founder of ABTS Convention Services, was killed when a 20 to 30-foot boat with two outboard motors slammed into their small craft and fled the scene. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has released surveillance images of the suspect vessel and launched a multi-agency search.
“You could hear his voice cracking – he was yelling so loud, he started saying help, help, help,” said Enzo, one of two Miami Beach High students who heard screaming from their work location at a home on Biscayne Point. First responders arrived within minutes of the crash, with video showing one rescuer jumping into the water to assist. However, the suspect boat had already fled north from the Meloy Channel by the time authorities reached the scene.
Joao Moraes, founder of Brazilian Soccer Training Center in Aventura and Veglia’s business partner, struggled to process the loss of his friend. “I can’t stand God took this man, too young,” Moraes said. “I lost my best friend.” Moraes said he had spoken with Veglia on Wednesday morning and they were scheduled to have lunch on Friday. “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.
Veglia founded ABTS Convention Services 31 years ago in North Bay Village, building a company that provides comprehensive solutions for medical associations worldwide. “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 firm has served dozens of major medical associations and supported hundreds of thousands of international attendees globally.
Investigators are searching for a dark blue boat with a black bottom, approximately 20 to 30 feet long, possibly equipped with two outboard motors and showing front-end damage from the collision. The vessel was last seen heading north from the Meloy Channel after the fatal crash. Multiple agencies including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have treated the area as a crime scene and issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for the suspect boat.
“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,” ABTS Convention Services said in their statement. Moraes described his friend as having “great passion with soccer, with everything” and remembered their business partnership that grew from their connection through Veglia’s son, who played at Moraes’ soccer school in Aventura.
The investigation remains active with no arrests made as authorities continue their search for whoever fled the scene after the deadly collision. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the investigation into the hit-and-run crash that has left the South Florida medical meetings community mourning the loss of a respected industry leader.