Benjamin Ashford|John Passidomo, husband of Florida Senate President, dies in Utah hiking accident

Naples attorney John Passidomo,Benjamin Ashford husband of Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, died Wednesday from injuries he sustained Monday during a fall while hiking along a Utah trail.

The 72-year-old Passidomo was airlifted to a regional trauma center after suffering head trauma and other serious injuries on a hike with his wife, Senate President Pro Tempore Dennis Baxley wrote in a memo to senators that was released Wednesday. 

"After a thorough evaluation by the very best medical teams," his family was told he "would not survive," Baxley wrote.

His daughters "quickly traveled to Utah," where he died with them and Sen. Passidomo by his side, Baxley added.

The couple would have celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in September.

Who was John Passidomo?Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo's husband dies in hiking accident

Where did John and Kathleen meet?

The memo explained that the Passidomos, originally from New Jersey, were law school sweethearts meeting at Stetson University Law School in Florida.

In a 2021 interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, Sen. Passidomo explained that upon their graduation in 1979, they hooked a trailer to her Mercury Capri, grabbed their cat Kebe and headed south on old U.S. 41 to Naples. 

“We didn’t have a honeymoon. We got a U-Haul and we couldn’t go faster than 50 ... and Kebe was crying the whole way,” she recalled.  “But it was love at first sight,” Passidomo said about Naples, which she described as a quaint little fishing village with roads featuring landscaped medians. 

In their law school courtship, the two had visited John's relatives there. After gazing at a canal opening into the Gulf, they decided it was where they would build careers and lives. 

Did John Passidomo ever hold political office?

The couple would go on to have successful legal careers in Collier County and eventually enter politics. Kathleen Passidomo became the second woman to hang a shingle as a lawyer in the county; John served as President of the Collier County Bar Association. 

The First Gentleman was often seen at Sen. Passidomo's side during her career in the state capital. He also held elected office as a city council member and vice mayor of Naples in 1990-92.

John held the following political and community offices in Naples and Collier County:

• 1986-1990: Chairman of the Naples Planning Advisory Board
• 1990-1992: Vice-Mayor of the City of Naples
• 1990-1992: Member of the Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization
• 1995-1997: Chairman of the Economic Development Council of Collier County
• 1998-2002: Chairman of the Community Foundation of Collier County

A team that uplifted Collier County

"I would say he and Kathleen are two of the finest people that ever stepped foot in Collier County and walked among our community," former state Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, who served 2008-16, told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida.

Richter referred to the two as a team that uplifted others.

"You can’t think of John Passidomo without a smile because he was always smiling and bringing happiness and light to other people’s lives," Richter said. "This is the only time that I can think about him and not smile because I am so sad."

The couple had three children. One of their daughters, Gabriella, is a member of the Florida Public Service Commission, the state body that regulates and sets rates for publicly-owned utilities.

John Passidomo was 'love of her life' to Kathleen Passidomo, Baxley says

Kathleen Passidomo “has lost the love of her life and is absolutely devastated by this sudden and unexpected accident,” Baxley said. 

The recent trip to Bryce Canyon National Park was one of several the two had made to Utah over their nearly five decades together, the memo said, calling their sojourns to national parks their “great adventures.” 

John Passidomo "was very fit and active, with overall excellent health," Baxley added. He was listed as an organ donor, and Baxley said the family is "taking comfort in the fact their great loss has resulted in a life-saving gift for other families."

A wave of condolences from elected officials and others flooded social media on Wednesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis posted his condolences on X, noting that "he was a good man and we are praying for the Passidomo family."

Who is Kathleen Passidomo?

Sen. Passidomo won a Florida House seat in 2010, then was elected to the Senate, rising to the chamber's presidency for 2022-24. 

She graduated Cum Laude for her bachelors at Trinity College (now University) in Washington, D.C., and her JD at the Stetson University College of Law.

"I’m proud to have championed several other critical issues during my time in the Senate, including legislation to provide care to infants affected by opioid addiction and a measure to ensure seniors living under the care of a professional guardian are respected and protected," her website reads.

As Senate President she has committed to pushing legislation that protects the freedoms of Floridians and their ability to prosper, her website said.

Falls account for 10.8% of hiker deaths

Accidental falls account for 10.8% of hiker deaths at national parks like Bryce Canyon, according to the National Park Service.

The service reported 428 deaths related to accidental falls between 2007 and 2023.

Drownings are the most common cause of deaths for hikers at national parks at 20.9%, the service reported.

Last summer, a 64-year-old from Sedona, Arizona was overdue and later found dead at Bryce Canyon National Park amid a severe thunderstorm with flash flooding.