First Lawsuit Filed Over Flaming Casino Shuttle Boat

One of the passengers who escaped a burning boat on Jan. 14 has filed suit against owner Tropical Breeze Casino Cruz LLC in Pinellas-Pasco circuit court. Many more lawsuits are likely to follow in the wake of the incident that forced 50 people to abandon ship and led to the death of one passenger. Holiday resident Debrah Jero, 65, alleges in the lawsuit that Tropical Breeze’s negligence resulted in her suffering "serious physical injuries from the forced jump from (the company’s) fire engulfed vessel" after she jumped 10 feet from the deck into 3 feet of water. The suit said she also suffered "serious mental anguish and trauma."