Ten months after it was stolen right off the beach, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department located the town’s enforcement boat about 5 miles off the island earlier this week. Here are all the details.
The $25,000 boat was recovered along with the $5,000 trailer it was sitting on. It’s unknown at this time if the boat can be used.
Last Friday and Saturday an employee at Hairquarter’s Barber Shop at 15660 San Carlos Boulevard saw the boat behind the building and called LCSO. On Monday of this week an LCSO deputy responded to the location in reference to the suspicious vessel. The deputy observed the white Carolina Skiff, completely stripped, on a trailer. There was no tag on the trailer and the registration numbers were not visible on the vessel. After running the trailer the deputy discovered it was reported stolen last year and eventually also found out it belonged to the town. Fort Myers Beach Harbormaster Curtis Ludwig was then notified. The town’s stolen boat was found behind this building at 15660 San Carlos Boulevard.
The town used the 2016 Carolina Skiff for Beach Patrol and Code Enforcement and has been waiting for a new custom-ordered boat to be delivered to replace this stolen one. The town did receive insurance money for the stolen boat so it’s unclear what the process is now that the old boat has been returned.
When the boat was stolen it was parked on the trailer inside a fenced equipment storage yard. The gate to the storage yard was broken and unable to be secured. There was also no lock on the trailer hitch and no surveillance cameras in the storage yard.
This is the boat looks this week after being recovered.
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Air tags.