Sarasota Police to hold boat safety inspections

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Sarasota Police Department will partner with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 84, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission , U.S. Coast Guard Station Cortez, and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium Stranding Investigations Program for an Interagency Boating Safety Inspection Day.

This event will be held at Centennial Park, 1059 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (also known as the 10th Street Boat Ramps). The event will be Saturday, May 21, 2022, from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m.

Greg and Mindy Isaacs will also join the boating safety inspection event to share the importance of wearing an engine cut-off switch. Their son, Ethan, lost his life tragically in November 2020 after he was struck by a coach’s boat propeller after a boat crash during practice. The coach lost his footing and fell off his boat and was not wearing an engine cut-off switch.

“According to the United States Coast Guard, each year, hundreds of lives are lost, thousands are injured and millions of dollars in property damage happens because of preventable recreational boating accidents on our waterways,” said Sarasota Police Marine Patrol Officer Michael Skinner. “The Sarasota Police Department wants to make sure everyone has a safe boating season,” said Officer Skinner.

Families wanting to enjoy the upcoming Memorial Day weekend may head out for a day on a boat that has seen very little use during the winter. In the excitement of the holiday weekend, safety equipment checks are often overlooked. Families may later find themselves without the necessary equipment in an emergency or be upset when they are cited for violations by local law enforcement.