Crash kills prominent Florida executive

TAMPA - Police say a prominent Florida civil servant and executive was hit and killed by an SUV in South Tampa early Thursday morning.

LeRoy Collins, Jr., the son of former Governor LeRoy Collins, was hit as he rode his bike across South Hyde Park Avenue in a pedestrian crosswalk around 6:20 a.m., police say.

The SUV, driven by Margaux Manuel, 27, was making a left turn on to the one-way street from a red light at West Brorein Street, also a one-way road, according to police. Manuel told officers she did not see the 75-year-old bicyclist.

According to the Tampa Police Department, what happened was an accident and no charges will be filed against Manuel.

Police say Manuel was on her way to work at Tampa General Hospital when the accident happened. Investigators say she and two other nurses attempted CPR until paramedics arrived.

Collins, Jr. was pronounced dead at Tampa General Hospital, police say.

Collins, Jr. was born in Tallahassee and commissioned by the U.S. Naval Academy in 1956. He transferred to the Reserves in 1966 and retired as a two-star rear admiral in 1990.

He held executive positions with several companies, including Florida Power & Light, Dynamic Realty of Tampa, Gateway Holdings, and the Armed Forces Financial Network.

Collins ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2006 in the Republican primary. At the time of his death, he was serving as executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, a position he was appointed to in 2007 by Governor Charlie Crist.

Collins and his wife, Jane, have four children and eight grandchildren. His father served as Florida's governor from 1955 to 1961.

The VA Sunshine Healthcare Veterans Integrated Services Network, of which Collins worked in his latest role, expressed their sadness over his death.

"His unwavering commitment and dedication to ensuring Florida's veterans received the benefits they so richly deserved was unparalleled," the network said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and those who had the privilege to know and work with the Admiral."