ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – In St. Johns County, the community is uniting to honor the legacy of Trenton Stewart, a freshman football player at Stetson University who tragically lost his life in 2023.
Stewart, an 18-year-old Creekside High School graduate, was home for Mother’s Day when he was killed by a driver going the wrong way on Old St. Augustine Road.
The driver, later identified as Ariel Monteagudo, slammed into Stewart’s SUV at 100 miles per hour.
In January, Monteagudo pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison while also having his license permanently suspended.
The Stewart family says it never gets easier, but remember their son Trenton as a motivated, focused leader.
“He really did embody everything that you would ever hope of a child,” said his mother, Mandi.
In response to this tragedy, Stewart’s family is hosting the Green, Black, and White Gatsby Gala at the Renaissance Resort to celebrate Stewart’s life and raise funds for the Trenton Stewart Foundation.
The gala featured guest speakers, including former University of Florida basketball player Patric Young, Rodney Blunt, and Madisen Schemitz. Schemitz is known for her resilience after surviving an attack that left her relearning how to walk.
The foundation’s mission is to support student-athletes by providing scholarships to those who share Stewart’s drive and focus.
“I don’t think proud is big enough of a word,” said Stewart’s father, Robert, speaking about his son’s accomplishments. “He was my Superman, so I guess if you had to put a word on it it’d be that.”
And now Stewart’s family wants to make sure their son’s legacy lives on.
“[This] is the second annual Trenton Stewart Foundation gala, [and] it is the great Gatsby theme this year,” Mandi said. “So we have over 180 guests joining us, and we’re so very thankful for the support.”
Robert and Mandi are also using their son’s legacy to push for change, urging legislators to pass Senate Bill 138, known as “Trenton’s Law.”
It would increase the punishment for second time offenders of certain serious traffic violations. Monteagudo had previously served a 10 year sentence for an incident in Broward County.
So as family and friends gather for a night of stories, celebration, and charity to remember Trenton Stewart, they say there is work left to be done.
“Quitting is not an option, that’s what we live by,” Robert said. “That’s why that is the motto: Quitting is not an option no matter what.”
