United States

Miami-Dade Commissioners Approve Naming Street Near Marlins Park for Jose Fernandez

Jose Fernandez Way will be on 17th Avenue from the Miami River to U.S. 1

Miami-Dade commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday to rename a street near Marlins Park in honor of Jose Fernandez.

Jose Fernandez Way will be on 17th Avenue from the Miami River to U.S. 1 in honor of the 24-year-old pitcher who was killed in a boating crash along with two other men on September 25.

Commissioner Bruno Barreiro sponsored the resolution and said it will be done not just for Fernandez's on the field accomplishments but for his community involvement.

"Jose brought a lot of enthusiasm to this community and obviously as a player he accomplished a lot of incredible achievements in his short career being one of the best pitchers in the league, Barreiro said. "As a person he was very involved in the community with charitable organizations, Boys and Girls Club, all these different organizations."

It was revealed Saturday that Fernandez had cocaine and alcohol in his system when his boat crashed into the jetty off Government Cut. It's not clear whether Fernandez was driving when the boat crashed but an attorney for the Fernandez family said authorities have interviewed a "highly reliable" witness who said he was on the phone with Fernandez just before the crash and heard the pitcher giving another person directions about where to steer the boat.

The associate medical examiner listed the cause of death as "boat crash" for Fernandez, 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero.

Each man had suffered blunt force injuries to his head and body, the examiner wrote.

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