One person found to have a blood alcohol concentration almost three times the legal limit
Over a period of three days, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Marine Patrol deputies made 25 vessel stops to conduct safety checks and issued 32 verbal or written boating safety warnings, plus two citations, in conjunction with their participation in Operation Dry Water, the office has announced.
Deputies also made one arrest for boating under the influence, a news release says. After deputies stopped a vessel for violation of a slow speed manatee zone (operating a vessel on plane outside the channel marker), the release notes, they believed the operator was exhibiting signs of impairment. The release adds that they administered field sobriety tests and found the suspect’s blood alcohol concentration to be .23, “nearly three times the legal limit.” Also onboard the vessel were one adult female and two children, ages 1 and 2, the release points out.
“Alcohol limits are the same on the water as on the road, so anyone boating with a .08 breath alcohol concentration or above can be arrested,” the release explains.
Operation Dry Water is a national Boating Under the Influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement campaign, the release explains. Locally, it was conducted on waterways and at boat ramps in Englewood, Nokomis and Venice over the weekend.
Among the law enforcement activities were increased patrols, life jacket checks and boater education.
“Marine Patrol deputies continue to be vigilant” and will increase enforcement efforts again throughout the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the release notes.