The U.S. Coast Guard cracked down on nine illegal charter vessels operating in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend, including floating tiki bars and large unlicensed boats.
Authorities cited a range of violations, including lack of licensed captains, absence of safety equipment like life vests, falsified documents, and missing Certificates of Inspection. Some vessels also lacked drug and alcohol testing programs, posing serious safety risks.
Officials urged the public to verify that any paid boat captain has proper credentials and to report unsafe or illegal operations.
Those caught running unauthorized charters face civil penalties of $69,000 or more.
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