Marathon – Gay activist and founder of the gay travel and entertainment website JumpOnMarksList.com, Mark Haines, of Fort Lauderdale died Nov. 14 after he was struck by a pickup truck and two other vehicles on U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys near Marathon. He was 54.
Haines had just completed the first leg of the SMART Ride, a two-day, 165-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West that raises money for organizations working with those affected by HIV/AIDS.
After dinner at Hawk’s Cay resort, where the first day’s ride ended, Haines was walking alone to his hotel room some three miles away when he was struck at 7:15 p.m. by three vehicles as he crossed U.S. 1 at mile marker 59, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. All three drivers waited for police to arrive. Haines died at the scene.
Jim Haines said his brother had recently lost 70 pounds in a rigorous training program that included bicycling. He was taking part in his first organized ride.
“He was really motivated for this ride,” Jim Haines told the Sun Sentinel. Jim Haines traveled from Lawrence, Kan., to join his brother for the weekend event.
Born in Jackson, Mich., Mark Haines moved to South Florida in 2003, and started Mark’s List soon afterwards. For a while he was also involved in publishing a magazine aimed at the LGBT community.
Mark Haines is survived by his brother, his nephew Matthew Haines and his sister, Pam Haines, of St. Petersburg.
