Southwest Florida honors fallen Trooper Michael Diego

NAPLES, Fla — Family and friends remembered Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper Michael Diego during a funeral in Naples on Sunday.

FHP says Trooper Diego was taking part "in a competitive process for the Patrol’s Criminal Interdiction Unit" when he suffered a medical emergency last week. He passed away at a Tallahassee hospital.

He is survived by his mother, sister and fiance.

"And though my heart is shattered, and it is broken, I would not change who he was," said Diego's mom, Sharon Kentish. "I would not change his courage, I would not change his calling, because he lived exactly how he wanted to live."

Trooper Diego started his career at FHP in 2021 and was assigned to the Fort Pierce District and the Fort Myers District. Diego served the Fort Myers district since April, Highway Patrol Major William Harris said.

"He made the hard days lighter, the long shift better, the job more meaningful," Williams said. "Many of us are better troopers, better people because of him."

A law enforcement procession took Trooper Diego from Hodges Funeral Home in Fort Myers to First Naples Church on Saturday morning. The public viewing is scheduled at 10:30am.

Troopers salute Michael Diego's family — Florida Highway Patrol troopers salute the family of Michael Diego at the First Naples in Church in Collier County, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. The Highway Patrol said Diego died after a medical emergency during training in Tallahassee last week.

"Mikey's personality can best be described in one word: infectious," the funeral program said. "His energy, smile, and sense of humor filled every room he entered."

Full line-of-duty death honors will be given to Trooper Diego at the First Naples Church immediately following the memorial service.