VERO BEACH — A makeshift boat made of plywood, sheet metal and plastic foam was found on the coastline south of Vero Beach on Sunday morning, and police were investigating whether it had brought immigrants ashore.
Beachgoers on a morning walk reported first seeing the grounded vessel in the surf line about a mile south of South Beach Park.
An Indian River County Sheriff’s Office investigation will begin after deputies confirm the vessel sighting and determine if it was used for immigration, spokesman Lt. Joe Abollo said shortly after noon.
If the vessel carried people to shore, Abollo said local law enforcement would lead the investigation. If no one made it to land, the decision would be up to the U.S. Coast Guard, he said.
Around 11 a.m., families and beachgoers could be seen stopping to look at the boat, which sat only a few yards onto the shoreline. It was filled with sand and at times nearly covered by waves.
The boat was held together in some places by zip ties and kept afloat by crumbling plastic foam fastened by rods to each side of the boat, some of which appeared to have broken free and could be seen strewn north of the landing.
Ada Kaplan, who saw the boat on a morning walk, said the vessel was not there last night. She said in three years of living nearby and walking that stretch of shoreline, this was the first time she had seen an abandoned vessel that may have been used for immigration by sea.
Linda Twardowski, who was out walking her 9-year-old Labrador mix Salty, said in seven years of walking the shoreline the sighting also was a first. Occasionally, she said, things will wash ashore that likely fell off container ships, such as commodity retail items.
One time there was “Café Bustelo everywhere,” she said, and another time, packages of ramen soup.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Twardowski said. “That’s very sad.”
Unsettled weather could have brought the boat ashore. Several storms blew through the area and offshore along the Treasure Coast overnight, said meteorologist Cassie Leahy of the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
Most of the winds were blowing from the south and southeast, she said. “We’re in a pretty wet pattern."
A spokesperson from the U.S. Coast Guard could not be reached for comment.
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Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.