A mother who lost her son, Osmany Castellanos, in a boating accident nearly 18 years ago is speaking out. She helped effect change with boating laws in 2009, and plans to continue her fight. NBC6’s Laura Rodriguez reports
A new bill filed for the 2025 Florida legislative session is welcome news for Isabel Castellanos. HB 289, named “Lucy’s Law,” aims to strengthen penalties for those operating boats recklessly or under the influence.
Castellanos began her fight for change in 2007 after her son, Osmany Castellanos, died in a boating accident.
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WATCH HERE“This pain is forever. It’s a life sentence to us,” the mother said.
Osmany Castellanos was killed on July 8, 2007 after spending the day in Elliott Key. The Miami-Dade lifeguard was 23 at the time of the tragedy.
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“My son was on the bow one leg in, one leg out with the girls sitting with him. There was 12 people including him on the boat. As soon as [the captain] did the quick left turn my son flew in the air and went towards the propellers,” said Castellanos.
In the months following the accident, Castellanos opened a foundation and made it her mission to save lives.
In 2009, Florida legislators passed the Osmany Castellanos Boating Safety Education Act.
Isabel’s original goal was to require anyone operating a boat, regardless of age, to take a boater education course. The proposition was to implement the change in phases.
State lawmakers, however, watered down Osmany's Law. Instead of phasing it in, the boater education course is only mandatory for boaters born after Jan 1, 1988.
“How many more have to die to make changes to the laws. We need laws and it’s not so difficult and I don’t think the boating industry should be pissed off and give us a hard time in legislature to pass laws when we’re not saying, 'The boat caused the accident, the boat killed him.' No. It's the human being that’s driving the boat,” Castellanos said.
The mother is now rooting for Lucy Fernandez’s family in their fight to pass Lucy’s Law. The law is named after the teen who died after the boat she shared with 13 others hit a channel marker and capsized near Boca Chita Key on Sept. 4, 2022. She was a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami during the time of the accident.
In addition to stronger penalties, the measure would require boater safety education for all operators of a vessel, regardless of age.
Castellanos hopes this time, lawmakers make the right choice.
“We need them to work with us. There is no reason that they should not bring boating laws to help save lives. These are our kids. They might not be 10 years old, they might not be 5, but they're still our children at 23, at 17. They're still our children,” she said.
The Fernandez family says they plan to work together with legislators, avid boaters and the marine industry to find common ground and save lives.
