On 4-27-13  at approximately 1700 I Officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received a call from a citizen in regards to a swamped air boat in the ICW south of the Atlantic Blvd Bridge.  After making contact with our duty officers at the JRCC they advised the air boat had swamped earlier in the day around 1300 and the Coast Guard had called and stated all individuals were safe and had already left the scene.  The Coast Guard also stated the individual was making plans to retrieve his air boat later that day
On 5-1-13, I made contact with the registered owner he stated that the air boat began taking on water south of the Atlantic Blvd Bridge and his bilge pump failed, the air boat was then swept by the strong current and submerged before he could attempt to salvage it.  owner hired a salvage company to locate and retrieve the air boat but they were unsuccessful. owner stated that the air boat was valued at $7,200 but could not afford the salvage company to continue to look for it and that he was no longer interested in salvaging the air boat.  At the time of report it is unknown whether the air boat sunk, drifted to another location, or was retrieved by an unknown person.
JACKSONVILLE BEACH