Coast Guard, partner agencies rescue Texas family in Charlotte Harbor

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla.— The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a Texas family of four Monday in Charlotte Harbor after they were reported missing aboard their 16-foot boat.

Jason Asbury, 36, Brittany Farr, 32, and their two children left for Cayo Costa Monday morning from Windmill Village near Alligator Creek.

When they failed to return by sunset as planned, Jason Asbury’s father called the Coast Guard.

A 29-foot Response Boat Small-II boat crew from Station Fort Myers Beach and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater launched. The local Marine Emergency Response Team was also activated.

The family drifted four and a half miles north of Cape Haze after their boat ran out of gas and got tangled in some mangroves, the Charlotte County Fire Department said.

The Coast Guard eventually spotted the boat at 9:03 p.m.  A Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office marine unit towed the boat and transported them to Charlotte Beach Complex.

There were no reported injuries.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Boca Grande Fire and Rescue, Cape Coral Fire and Rescue, and Englewood Fire and Rescue aided in the search.

The Charlotte County Fire Department said the search could’ve been avoided if the family would’ve followed basic boating procedures, such as making sure they had enough gas, fully charged cell phones, a radio or an emergency signaling device of some kind.