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UF Health Jacksonville CEO Leon Haley Killed In Personal Watercraft Accident In S. Fla.

BOB SELF / THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION
UF Health CEO Leon Haley, Jr. receives his COVID-19 vaccination in Dec. 2020.

Dr. Leon L. Haley Jr., CEO of UF Health Jacksonville, who was as lauded for his leading role in the city's COVID-19 response as he was for his approachable manner among the hospital's thousands of employees, died suddenly early Saturday.

WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union reported he was 56.

Dr. Haley died after being ejected from a personal watercraft in Palm Beach Inlet, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the accident. He was "located in the water wearing a life jacket" and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, but died from his injuries, according to the commission.

Haley had a daughter, Nichelle, and two sons.

Read the rest of this story, which includes community reaction, at Jacksonville.com.