Missing boaters found safe

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. -- Personnel from several agencies successfully rescued five people from a disabled vessel Sunday morning off the coast of Marineland.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was originally notified that the boaters were missing by a father of a teenager who had gone boating with friends around noon on Saturday.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, searched the coastline for hours.

The drifting boat and its passengers were located by deputies on the Intracoastal Waterway near the Whitney Lab in Marineland around 1:15 a.m.

“We are happy for the positive outcome of the search. There was great cooperation between several agencies to locate these boaters who otherwise may have spent the night drifting on the water. I want to thank everyone who was involved in this search,” said Flagler County Sheriff James L Manfre.

Deputies removed the passengers and towed the disabled boat to Marineland.