Someone saw something ‘sticking out of the water.’ Florida cops found out what it was
Sunken treasure or trash?
Turns out, unfortunately, trash.
An eyesore in Tampa’s Hillsborough River was removed after about two years on Thursday morning, according to the Tampa Police Department.
“You never know what #YourTampaPD Dive Team will find in the water!” says a Facebook post, along with a picture of an overturned boat that looks like a hunk of rusted metal.
The agency put out a release saying that a local resident called in the large, overturned boat that had been abandoned near the waterbank at Patterson Street Park for way too long. Divers were finally dispatched to the scene to remove it.
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Tampa PD public information officer Crystal Clark told the Miami Herald Friday that the watercraft was about about 30 feet long and approximately 10 feet wide.
The PIO added she didn’t know what type of boat it was, because it didn’t even resemble one anymore.
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“It was junk, and pretty dirty, basically just sticking out of the water,” she said. “There was no indication that it was an old boat. Divers just went through the process of going down there, tying it up and hauling it out.”
Clark also didn’t know who the owner was, but assumes someone just dumped it after it had been damaged or sunk. If the individual had been found, he or she may have faced fines.
The post reminds folks that state law prohibits people from ditching “derelict” boats in waterways.
“A vessel is considered derelict if it is wrecked, junked, substantially dismantled, or on someone’s property without consent,” the TPD said.
Penalties for leaving a crippled boat can include a citation as well as fines to cover the cost of removal and misdemeanor charges.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife has a program for vessel owners to turn in a damaged, sinking boat without penalty.
“AT RISK Vessels are a concern” in the state of Florida, says the FWC, referring to a boat that has taken on water, has broken loose of its anchor, is stored aground unattended, or is listing due to water intrusion.
