A road ranger who patrolled US-41 and I-75 through Apollo Beach and Ruskin was killed by a suspected drunk driver while working a crash scene, and his mother is now pushing state lawmakers for tougher penalties under a campaign she calls "Antonio's Law."
Antonio Marazita, 24, worked under the Hillsborough County Road Ranger program, which covers major South Shore corridors. He was setting up a lane closure on I-75 near Lutz in Pasco County on the night of July 13 after responding to a two-vehicle crash when 40-year-old Darren Jenkins drove between two FDOT Road Ranger trucks and struck him, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Marazita's truck had its emergency lights activated. He died at the scene.
Jenkins' breath test registered at more than four times the legal blood alcohol limit, Fox 13 reported. Troopers found him drinking mouthwash at the crash site before he failed field sobriety exercises. A criminal complaint alleges Jenkins was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Ocala earlier that same evening and had been arrested the previous month on DUI charges in Georgia.
Jenkins was charged with DUI manslaughter and remains in the Pasco County Jail without bond.
Mother launches legislative campaign
Two weeks after her son's death, Joe Marazita formally launched the "Antonio's Law" campaign on Friday, July 31, calling for expanded protections for road rangers and stiffer penalties for drivers who violate Florida's Move Over Law. She is organizing petition drives, letter-writing campaigns, and fundraisers, and plans to contact state lawmakers and the governor's office, according to WFLA.
"I'm doing this to fight for him. I need things to change. I need to know that it's a safer place out there for us all," Joe Marazita told WFLA on July 31.
She argues the current Move Over Law fine of roughly $158 is comparable to a basic speeding ticket and does not reflect the danger roadside workers face. Two of Antonio's brothers-in-law also work as road rangers.
Antonio had served as a road ranger for about a year while studying criminology and had begun the application process to enter law enforcement, Tampa Bay 28 reported. His family called him "Dude."
What the Move Over Law requires
Florida's Move Over Law, codified in Statute 316.126, requires drivers to vacate the lane closest to any stopped vehicle with warning signals active or slow to 20 mph below the posted speed limit. The law was expanded Jan. 1, 2025, to cover any vehicle stopped with hazard lights, flares, or emergency signage. A violation carries a base fine of about $158 plus court costs and adds three points to a driver's license.
According to FDOT, more than 200 crashes have involved road rangers over the past decade, and several have been killed since the program began in 1999. FDOT identifies the biggest threats as distracted, impaired, and speeding drivers, and motorists who fail to comply with the Move Over Law.
No Florida lawmaker has publicly signed on to sponsor "Antonio's Law" as of Aug. 2. The next regular legislative session begins in March 2027. A memorial sign now stands along I-75 near the mile marker where Antonio Marazita was killed.
Drivers can report impaired or reckless motorists by dialing FHP (347) from a cell phone.
