The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded its search for a missing boater from Palm Beach after recovering an individual matching the description of the missing person.
Identified as 57-year-old Rick Ferozi, the boater was reported missing earlier this week.
A breakthrough occurred on Friday night when a Good Samaritan spotted an individual in the water approximately 35 miles northeast of Sebastian Inlet.
Coast Guard crews responded and recovered the person, who was later determined to be Rick Ferozi by Florida Fish and Wildlife officials.
“With heavy hearts, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Ferozi,” said Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Carman, a search and rescue mission coordinator, Coast Guard Sector Miami. “We also want to thank our state partners and the public for their assistance with our search efforts.”
Ferazi’s daughter expressed gratitude in a Facebook post, writing, “My family and I would like to thank each and every one of you who helped spread the word and look for my father. Thanks to the exhaustive efforts of the US Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife, and the personal vessels who searched my father’s body has been brought back to us. It is not the outcome we wanted, but we take solace in him having been found.”
In response to the initial distress call, Coast Guard Sector Miami initiated an urgent marine information broadcast and deployed both surface and air crews to the search area. State and local agencies also contributed to the extensive search efforts.
Over the course of 33 hours, rescue crews combed through more than 2,300 square miles of ocean. Favorable search conditions, including 10-knot winds, calm seas, and good visibility, aided in the operation.
