Overview
- Marine patrol officers encountered the boy operating a personal watercraft alone in the Big Pass/Lido Key area during busy, rough conditions and stopped him.
- Florida law requires operators of personal watercraft to be at least 14 years old and allowing someone younger to operate one is a second-degree misdemeanor.
- Body-camera footage shows an officer asking the child where his parents were and the boy directing officers to his father on shore.
- The father told officers he did not believe the child was legal to ride but said the boy had experience on lakes, and police issued the father a court summons to appear on the misdemeanor charge.
- The Sarasota Police Department released the video as a public-safety reminder and said its Marine Patrol Unit will increase presence on the water ahead of the holiday to enforce safety and boating laws.