CRIME

Operation Safe Pass

A crackdown led by the Coast Guard has cleared 30 illegal charter boats from the region

Duwayne Escobedo | 315-4489 | @DuwayneENWFDN | descobedo@nwfdailynews.com
Master Chief Sean Sulski, officer in charge at Coast Guard Station Destin, speaks during a press conference Friday about Operation Safe Pass. The crackdown has cleared 30 illegal charter boat operators from Destin, Panama City and Orange Beach, Alabama. [DUWAYNE ESCOBEDO/DAILY NEWS]

DESTIN — A passenger aboard an illegal charter boat who died in April spurred the creation of Operation Safe Pass, a multi-agency crackdown spearheaded by the Coast Guard.

Lt. Andrew Nielsen, a Coast Guard investigator, said he knew after the death that something had to be done to improve enforcement.

The Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Okaloosa County and Destin teamed up on the more than three-month-old operation. So far, the agencies have cleared more than 30 illegal charters from local waterways, primarily in Destin. One illegal charter was in Orange Beach, Alabama, and two were in Panama City.

“This has been something that has been going on in the past,” Nielsen said at a press conference Friday at Coast Guard Station Destin. “That death earlier in the spring put us in action. It’s interesting work. It can be morbid. We just want charters to follow the rules.”

Coast Guard Capt. LaDonn Allen — a Niceville native who in May became the first woman to be commanding officer in Mobile, Alabama — said Florida and Gulf Coast waters have experienced multiple deaths this year. The Mobile station covers the Gulf Coast from Mississippi to Northwest Florida.

“Illegal operators are endangering people,” said Allen, who recalled boating and swimming at Crab Island. “We focused on education, but that just wasn’t working. Now, we’re using a heavy hammer. We’re very serious. A lot of lives are at stake here.”

Destin Harbor Waterways Compliance Officer David Bazylak reported that non-certified and unsafe charters have operated all 26 years he has served the city.

“They find ways to circumvent the codes,” Bazylak said. “All these fly-by-night captains have been a problem.”

Charter boat captains who operate fishing or other types of charters often run afoul of the law because they lack proper credentials or need safety equipment. They can face stiff civil fines costing tens of thousands of dollars, Allen said.

“People should take this seriously,” said Master Chief Sean Sulski, the officer in charge of the Destin Coast Guard station. “We have busy waterways that everyone is sharing. There are rough bars out there in the ocean.”

The crackdown extends along the entire Gulf Coast.

Allen said all the agencies have trained together on Operation Safe Pass. She said the National Association of Charterboat Operators and Passenger Vessel Association have complimented the program.

“It is definitely a challenge of our resources,” Allen said. “It takes federal, state and local agencies working together to make something like this happen.”

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