PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Labor Day weekend marks four years since Michael Hope received a text message that changed his life forever.
Hope was at his property in Northern Florida when his youngest daughter's message came through: "Oh my God, Papa died, please call me."
"I told Sandra I'm like oh my God, my dad passed away thinking you know at 79 years old he had a heart attack or something like that so I call home," Hope said. "My wife informed me the state troopers were looking to contact me. Because my dad was killed by a drunk driver."
His father, Robert, was killed instantly by a drunk driver on Labor Day weekend. The crash report shows the other driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.116—well above Florida's legal limit of 0.08.
A painful truth
Four years later, Hope still struggles with one painful reality: free ride services were available that night.
"Five hours, six hours after AAA opened their free Tow to Go program," Hope said, describing the timing of the crash.
"There's no reason to drink and drive, and there's really no reason to drink and drive on a holiday, not when there's so many services that are offered for free. Just make a phone call."
Turning grief into action
Hope says losing his father changed everything.
"Everything that I love the most I lost due to this, and people need to understand what drunk driving is—you're not only destroying your life, you're destroying everybody's lives," he said.
Now, Hope is channeling that pain into purpose. He's working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to push for harsher penalties for holiday drunk driving.
"If you speed through a school zone your fines are doubled. If you speed through a construction zone your fines are doubled. The only way we're gonna get drunk driving laws stiffened is to start doubling the penalties for drinking and driving during holidays. We have to start somewhere," Hope said.
A simple message
Hope's mission is straightforward: if he can save just one person from experiencing the same loss, he's done his job.
"My hope is if I can just save one person from losing everything like I have, I did my job," he said.
This Labor Day weekend, Hope wants drivers to remember they have a choice—and that choice affects everyone.
Free ride services available this Labor Day weekend:
- AAA Tow to Go: Free rides available through Tuesday, September 8th
- Uber and Lyft: Rideshare services available 24/7
- Local taxi services
"Just make a phone call," Hope said. "Don't ruin your life, don't ruin other people's lives."
Share Your Story with Haley
Tampa Bay 28's Haley Zarcone lives and works in Manatee County. It’s her mission to connect with her neighbors and help them find answers to the issues they see every day.
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