Coast Guard searches for missing person after unmanned kayak found

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Coast Guard is searching for a possible missing person in Tampa Bay, after an unmanned kayak was discovered capsized Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a report from a good Samaritan vessel at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday, of an unmanned kayak found capsized just south of the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

In response to the possibility of a missing person associated with the unmanned kayak, a Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg 25-foot Response Boat crew launched at 8:15 p.m to search the nearby area, along with a MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., a Tampa Police Department Helicopter, and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission response boat crew. Several additional good Samaritan vessels have also responded to assist with the search.

An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) has been issued in the Tampa Area to alert mariners of a possible missing person, and a request to local marinas to check for accountability of persons has been made.