Venue and Public Respond to Jannus Live Owner’s Involvement in Fatal Boat Collision

Information continues to emerge as officials investigate last Sunday’s boat collision with the Clearwater Ferry.

Around 8:40 p.m. on the evening of April 27th, a 37-foot-long recreational boat with six people aboard, crashed into the back of the Clearwater Ferry, which was shuttling 44 passengers from the beach to downtown Clearwater. With the rear half of the vessel shattered, the ferry came to rest on a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway Bridge.

At least 10 were injured in what Clearwater Emergency Medical System chief, Tony Tedesco, called a “Level One Mass Casualty.”

Several ferry passengers were able to get out and wade to shore, some of which were then aided by civilians. Injuries included broken bones, head injuries, and soft tissue damage.

Six passengers were declared "trauma alerts” by Clearwater Police, two of which were airlifted to local hospitals by helicopter. No children were injured in the crash.

One of the victims, 41-year-old Jose Castro of Palm Harbor, later died from his injuries.

Video footage from nearby Coachman Park—home of Clearwater’s BayCare Sound amphitheater—shows the slow-moving ferry being overtaken by a recreational boat traveling at a much higher speed. 

Clearwater Police originally reported that the other boater fled the scene and drove to the Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp, where he was confronted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials have identified the driver of the recreational boat as Jeffry Knight, the longtime owner of Jannus Live—a 2,000 cap courtyard concert venue in downtown St. Petersburg. Knight took over what was then called Jannus Landing in 2009. He also owns two of the surrounding bars, Pelican’s Pub and The Landing.

The FWC is handling the crash investigation and has seized both the ferry and the boat. No one has been charged at this time.

"To the fullest extent of the law, we'll prosecute any crime that is discovered," said FWC Captain Matthew Dallarosa.

Soon after Knight’s name was released, his boating and driving history surfaced and began to spread.

Jeffry Knight has faced previous boating and DUI charges since 2012, according to Florida public records. Sunday night’s crash also isn’t the first fatal boating incident that Knight has been involved in.

In January 2012, a 49-year-old St. Petersburg man on board Knight’s yacht—Pure Knight Life—died after slipping and hitting his head while stepping off the docked boat.

The victim’s friends, including Knight, pulled him from the water. According to reports, the man had alcohol and cocaine in his system. The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office determined he drowned. The victim’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Knight, but it was later dismissed. 

Knight also faced a DUI charge in 2012 and was found guilty, according to county court records. 

Records show Knight was also charged in a 2019 boating accident in which he crashed into a pontoon boat, injuring four people. While the charges were later dismissed, a civil suit was settled out of court.

In a Monday press conference addressing last Sunday’s collision, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated Knight was “cooperative” and “voluntarily submitted” to a breathalyzer test, during which there was “no alcohol detected” in his system.

“It read zero, zero, zero based on the certified breath test that was given to the intoxilyzer,” said Matthew Dallarosa with the FWC.

Dallarosa also stated there is evidence that the boat did remain at the scene for a period of time before departing.

Sandy Todd, the sister of the killed passenger, also shared her thoughts on the accident’s investigation. “It’s not fair. I want justice for my brother,” said Todd. “This is a tragedy that we don’t know how to handle.”

“This guy have to pay for what he did to my brother,” Todd said. “He take away his life. He take away his happiness from us. He take away a father. He take away a son for my mom.”

"Today, that was my brother, and tomorrow could be one of us. Could be another family member suffering what we are suffering today. It is not fair. We need justice."

On Tuesday afternoon, Jannus Live issued a statement on social media urging the community to use "compassion and patience as the facts surrounding this heartbreaking incident continue to emerge."

"We ask that judgment be reserved while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the United States Coast Guard conduct their thorough investigation into what occurred that night," the statement reads, in part.

The 1,000+ commenters on the post, however, did not seem to reserve their judgement.

That same Tuesday, in a letter to investigators, an attorney representing Jeff Knight denied claims the incident was a hit-and-run and alleges the ferry lacked proper lighting at the time of the crash.

Knight’s lawyer said he directed a passenger on board to call 911, and that the person remained on the phone with a 911 operator for nearly 12 minutes while Knight remained at the scene.

The letter also said Knight “tied his vessel to the ferry” to stabilize it and used his boat to “maneuver the ferry closer to shore,” to allow first responders to reach passengers more easily.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jannus Live announced that Jeffry Knight was stepping down from his management position “effective immediately”. The social media post stated “Jannus Live will continue normal operations under its existing management team”.

“This decision was made out of respect for the victims of the recent Clearwater Ferry tragedy and to ensure that ongoing developments do not detract from the work of the talented artists, staff, and community partners who have long contributed to the success of Jannus Live,” the venue wrote.

Once again, the comment section was skeptical, with many suggesting the resignation was an empty PR gesture, pointing out that Knight still owns and profits from the venue.