Make wishtv.com your home page

Coast Guard: Boat with father, three children missing off Florida coast

(WFLA) – US Coast Guard confirmed that a boat with a man and his three teenage children is missing off the Florida coast near Englewood.

The 29-foot sailboat left Sarasota on Sunday morning around 7 a.m. and was heading to Fort Myers to repair the sailboat, however the boat never made it there.

On the trip, the Coast Guard said the man called his brother and stated the sailboat was in six foot seas and he was attempting to survive with his children offshore of Englewood. US Coast Guard confirmed on Twitter Tuesday night that the boat was missing.

The man, his 13 and 15-year-old teenage sons, and 17-year-old teenage daughter were last heard from Sunday morning. The family lived on the sailboat, according to USCG.

Station Fort Myers Beach activated the Maritime Emergency Response Team which includes numerous state and local maritime emergency responders by sea and by air.

The Coast Guard asks boaters to keep a sharp lookout and contact Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at (727) 824-7506 with any information regarding the whereabouts of the missing family.