ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Coast Guard rescued four people after their boat started flooding near St. Petersburg, Sunday.
At 6:40 p.m. watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a report of a Good Samaritan towing a flooding 20-foot boat near St. Petersburg. The Good Samaritan became concerned that the boat was continuing to flood and requested Coast Guard assistance.
A 29-foot Response Boat-Small II boatcrew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg arrived on-scene to monitor the tow. During the evolution the Good Samaritan's tow line snapped and within minutes the Coast Guard crew placed the boat in tow and transported the four people to Williams Park Boat Ramp, Riverview, Florida.
"The Good Samaritan understood the severity of the situation and acted appropriately by calling us when the circumstance looked dire," said Richard Hutchinson the command duty officer at Sector St. Petersburg. "Had we not been called, the situation could have easily deteriorated."