Coast Guard stopped an illegal charter in Key West. The fine could be up to $40K

The Coast Guard said it ended the voyage of an illegal charter vessel in Key West on Wednesday night and the boat’s operators could face a fine of up to $39,936.

Seven people were aboard the 33-foot pleasure craft near Mallory Square.

A Coast Guard law enforcement crew boarded the vessel and said it was in violation for “failure to have an uninspected passenger vessel under the control of a properly licensed individual.”

The Coast Guard said Thursday it won’t be releasing any names of the people cited due to its policy.

The name on the back of the boat reads, “Really Sweet,” but a Coast Guard official said that’s not the boat’s registered name and may have been something the owners added themselves.

“When purchasing a boat charter run by a provided crew, before you step on board the vessel, you should always check to see the captain’s license,” said Lt. Katharine Brodie, chief of the investigations division at Coast Guard Sector Key West.

Brodie said, “Participating in an illegal charter can put your life and everyone else’s life on the charter at risk, by being under the direction and control of an unlicensed individual.”

Owners and operators of illegal charter vessels can face maximum civil penalties of over $59,000 for illegal passenger-for-hire operations.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.