A Miami Beach man spent the last year telling South Florida how to behave on the water.
Last week, police say he tried to kill an 18-year-old over a lobster spot.
Now Michael Joseph Simpson faces an attempted murder charge – and what he allegedly said before doing it tells you everything.
The Task Force That Was Supposed to Fix This
In 2022, a 17-year-old girl named Lucy Fernandez died when a boat capsized on Biscayne Bay.
Her father, Andres Fernandez, turned that grief into a mission.
He helped launch the Miami-Dade Boater Safety and Bay Education Task Force – a government-appointed panel created specifically to stop tragedies like the one that killed his daughter.
Michael Joseph Simpson sat on that task force.
For a year, he helped draft recommendations on boater education, responsible behavior, and tougher penalties for people who endanger lives on the water.
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The task force issued its final report in May 2026.
Two months later, Simpson allegedly swam up to a breathing apparatus keeping a teenager alive underwater and shut it off.
What the Sheriff's Affidavit Says He Said
It was 5:30 in the morning during Florida's two-day Lobster Sport Season.
Steven Del Sol had anchored his boat near Fisher Island and put 18-year-old Hunter Coffer in the water using a Brownie's Third Lung – a device that pumps breathing air from the surface down to a diver through a hose.
Simpson's boat arrived at high speed and circled the area.
His crew declared Del Sol had stolen their spot.
A second, larger boat allied with Simpson then showed up.
Del Sol had to warn a juvenile diver from that second boat to stay away from the Third Lung – because Coffer was underwater and breathing through it.
According to the arrest affidavit, Simpson's response was: "I'll turn the Brownie off if I want to!"
Then he swam over and turned it off.
Coffer surfaced gasping for air, disoriented, tangled in the hose and an anchor line.
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Del Sol jumped into the water and pulled the boy to the surface.
Witnesses said Simpson bolted back to his boat, which left the scene.
The Defense That Tells You Everything You Need to Know
Simpson posted a $10,000 bond and walked out of jail.
His attorney, Howard Srebnick, issued a statement claiming one of the accusers lost his balance and fell overboard, becoming entangled in the Third Lung on his own while Simpson "was nowhere near it."
Srebnick also disputed that his client fled – insisting Simpson "wisely putt-putted away at idle speed" rather than allow the situation to escalate.
Then came this line: "Simpson has devoted his life to boating safety. He has earned a reputation as one of South Florida's safest and most responsible boaters."
The man who allegedly cut off a teenager's air supply spent a year on a government panel writing rules for everyone else.
That's not irony.
That's the entire game.
Miami-Dade's Mayor's Office confirmed Simpson's membership and said the conduct alleged against him was "contrary to that mission."
Florida leads the nation in boating accidents and fatalities.
Miami-Dade County logged 75 boating accidents in 2024 alone, with eight deaths.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle – herself a task force member – put it plainly at one of the panel's meetings: "The waterways have become an increasingly unsafe place to be."
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The solution Simpson and his colleagues proposed?
More rules. More education. Tougher penalties.
For everyone else, apparently.
The judge upgraded the charge from attempted felony murder to second-degree attempted murder.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said additional arrests could be announced.
If the cellphone video is as clear as witnesses describe, Michael Simpson's next appearance before a government panel is going to be in a Miami-Dade courtroom – and this time he won't be writing the rules.
Sources:
- Julian Quintana and Briana Nespral, "Man Cut Off Diver's Air Supply During Dispute Over Miami Lobster Fishing Spot," NBC South Florida, August 6, 2026.
- "Man Charged With Attempted Murder in Alleged Lobster Diving Incident," ABC News, August 7, 2026.
- "Family of South Florida Man Accused of Trying to Kill Diver Says Allegations Are Categorically False," CBS Miami, August 6, 2026.
- "Florida Man Accused of Cutting Off Diver's Air Supply in Fight Over Coveted Lobster Diving Spot," FOX 13 Tampa Bay, August 7, 2026.
- David Goodhue, "Florida Boating Task Force Urges Tougher Laws: The Status Quo Is Not Working," Miami Herald, October 2025.
- "Miami-Dade Task Force Proposes New Boater ID System, Unified Enforcement After Deadly Biscayne Bay Crash," CBS Miami, May 5, 2026.
