Clearwater Ferry case: Jeff Knight’s legal team moves to exclude earlier boating incident

CLEARWATER, FLA. — A motion was filed on behalf of a Clearwater boat captain on Monday to prevent a prior vessel incident from being used in his ongoing Clearwater Ferry crash trial.

Jeff Knight was charged with leaving the scene of a boating accident involving injury and violation of a navigational rule resulting in a boating accident in 2025 when he crashed his boat into the ferry, killing a man.

The motion, filed in the Circuit County of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, is asking the court to prohibit the state from introducing any evidence, testimony or argument concerning a prior boating accident.

According to a court document, the state wants to show the jury a September 2019 incident when Knight, former owner of Jannus Live, was charged with careless operation of a vessel after allegedly failing to maintain a proper lookout, leading to an accident causing injury.

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But that charge was dismissed.

“Six years later, the state asks this court to resurrect the dismissed allegation and present it to a Pinellas County jury as though it proves something about the 2025 charges,” the motion stated.

Furthermore, the motion stated that Florida law does not permit the State to use “collateral-act evidence to establish bad character or propensity.”

The document states that the prior incident has no relation to the 2025 case.

“Whatever sliver of probative value it carries is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. The evidence must be excluded,” the motion stated.

Moreover, the motion stated, “Its admission would unfairly prejudice Mr. Knight and would inject a substantial and entirely avoidable risk and reversible error into this trial.”