Duval County

Crews remove sailboat that washed ashore in Jacksonville Beach in October

By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Crews came Tuesday to remove a sailboat that washed ashore on Jacksonville Beach in October.

Heavy machinery was brought onto the beach to dismantle the boat.

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Action News Jax told you last week the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a warrant for the boat’s owner, John Rehberg.

According to court records, he failed to pay the necessary fees to transfer the title of his sailboat to FWC.

Action News Jax learned that Rehberg was arrested by the Jacksonville Beach Police Department on Dec. 13.

RELATED: Running out of time: FWC to take possession of stranded vessel at Jax Beach by midnight

He was charged with abandoning his boat and released from jail the next day.

As these legal issues continue to unfold, those from and visiting Jacksonville Beach expressed concerns the boat has since become a safety hazard and public nuisance.

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“It could really become a danger. You know, because we have seen a lot of kids, you know, climbing on it,” Carla Minton said Thursday.

“There’s graffiti on it, the masters, or not, the boom, maybe it’s called, is laying over on the beach over there. So eventually, it could become a safety hazard,” Randall Passman said Thursday.

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This all began when Rehberg said the boat lost power and washed to shore on Oct. 23. Since then, the story has gained attention up and down the Florida coast.

“We’re from New Smyrna Beach and Titusville, which is about an hour and a half south. And we came up and like ... he had said, we’ve been seeing it on the news for quite some time,” Minton said Thursday.

PHOTOS: Crews remove sailboat that washed ashore in Jacksonville Beach in October

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Crews came Tuesday to remove a sailboat that washed ashore on Jacksonville Beach in October.

Crews remove sailboat that washed ashore in Jacksonville Beach in October Crews came Tuesday to remove a sailboat that washed ashore on Jacksonville Beach in October.

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