MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – It's been more than seven years since Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Patrick Ambroise was killed in the line of duty, and now a stretch of the Turnpike will be named after him in honor of his service.
At a somber ceremony Wednesday near the Snapper Creek rest stop on the highway, Florida Highway Patrol troopers, along with several South Florida lawmakers, dedicated a stretch of highway in honor of Ambroise, who was killed in 2010.
Authorities said Jonathan Garcia, then 19, was driving along the Turnpike when his car swerved off the road, slamming into Ambroise's patrol vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder near the Okeechobee Road interchange.
"This roadway dedication will serve as a solemn reminder of his sacrifice to the citizens and visitors of Florida and to the FHP," FHP Col. Gene Spaulding said.
The trooper's family and dozens of his brothers and sisters in uniform gathered to remember that sacrifice.
"It's been a hard road for us, but God has pulled us through," Ambroise's widow, Roberta, said.
And while Ambroise's widow said the dedication won't bring him back, it will serve as a physical reminder for his daughters every single day.
"It's something for the girls to remember," Roberta Ambroise said. "They need to remember their father was a hardworking man and, of course, he was a great father to his girls. He would have been very happy to be here today."
The Abroises' daughters were young at the time of their father's death, and Roberta Ambroise said it has been a struggle at times to explain to them why he isn't around. But she said he would have been proud to see this day and that he loved his job as an FHP trooper.