Police: Missing Florida paddleboarder found cold & dehydrated

Cover photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by Holly Mandarich | Unsplash

Monroe County Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to a 911 call reporting a missing paddleboarder near Sunshine Key in August, discovering her cold, dehydrated, and hungry, a release states.

According to the release, the call came in around 8:15 pm, reporting that the paddleboarder was overdue for return. The subject went out on their board before sunset, and the family could not reach her via her mobile device. The paddleboarder's last known location was bayside of Missouri Key.

FWC Officers coordinated a search in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Highway Patrol, and Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Officers Garcia and Winter, and Lieutenant Sapp began to search down-sea and down-wind of the last known position using thermal imagery, radar, and sound.

At approximately 9:40 pm, the officers heard a faint cry for help. They found the paddleboarder about a mile out in open waters. She was cold, dehydrated, and hungry, but extremely happy to have been found. The subject had become disoriented after sunset and was unable to fight the wind and current.

The subject was later reunited with her husband and daughter at Sunshine Key.
In other law enforcement news, a felon was arrested after getting caught harvesting saw palmetto berries in Florida. More on that here.
Article by Rachael Volpe