Ron Vinci, 70, was found dead in his Florida Mansion on Tuesday.
Police told neighbors in Vinci’s Fort Lauderdale home that Vinci was wrapped in duct tape, and that the case may be one of foul play, according to a NBC Miami report.
Vinci’s name may sound familiar to many San Diegans. He owned several Honda dealerships in the 1960’s, rose to millionaire status and then later sold his franchises.
He also became an infamous figure in his Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood when, in 1984, he received a permit to build a helipad. Neighbors filed numerous noise complaints against Vinci, according to a 1989 article in the Los Angeles Times.
Angered by these complaints and stricter SANDAG regulations for helipads, Vinci criticized his neighbors, and denied that the helicopter was too loud.
"We got railroaded, period," he said in the Times article. "The wives of a lot of these Rancho Santa Fe types play bridge with people on the Board of Supervisors. You fill in the blanks."
Vinci sold his dealerships in San Diego, including Pacific Honda of Kearny Mesa and Santa Ana Honda.
