CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Clearwater Ferry captain, who was operating the boat at the time of the deadly crash in April 2025, accepted a plea deal and will have his charge reduced.
Dennis Kimerer pleaded guilty on May 27 to misdemeanor charges stemming from a reported violation of a navigational rule that resulted in an accident, but it did not constitute reckless operation of a vessel. His charge will be reduced to a civil infraction. Kimerer has to pay a $500 fine.
Earlier this year, Jeff Knight had a pretrial hearing for his more notable role in the crash, where he faces eight felony counts of leaving the scene of a boating crash that killed one person and injured multiple people.
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