Gov. DeSantis calls on CDC to lift no-sail order on cruise ships
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. โ At a roundtable Friday morning with executives from cruise lines and companies that work with cruise lines at Port Canaveral, Gov. Ron DeSantis called on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to rescind its no-sail order for cruise ships. The CDCโs no-sail order has been in effect since March 14, 2020, and is currently set to expire on Nov. 1. I urge the CDC to immediately rescind this baseless no-sail order to allow Floridians in this industry to get back to work.โEarlier this month, Cruise Lines International Association said it planned to ask the Biden administration to lift the no-sail order for cruise ships in July. Executives from smaller companies that do business with cruise lines said they have also had to lay off employees and that they have a backup of inventory that they cannot sell because it is specifically branded for certain cruise lines.
Missing 62-year-old found clinging to capsized boat 86 miles offshore
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. โ The U.S. Coast Guard announced Sunday that a 62-year-old boater who went missing off Port Canaveralโs coast on Friday was found alive, clinging to his capsized Sea Ray about 86 miles offshore. Stuart Bee was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guardโs 225-foot motor vessel named Angeles, whose crew spotted the man clinging to the bow of the vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard spotted and rescued Stuart Bee on Sunday after he went missing late Friday afternoon. According to USCG, Bee was reported missing after heading out of the Cape Marina at 4 p.m. While Bee did not specify when he would return, USCG said his brother called the authorities saying Bee never stays out on the water for more than 24 hours.
Carnival cancels most 2020 US cruises as CDC extends ban
FILE - In this April 4, 2020 file photo, workers perform maintenance on the Carnival cruise line ship Carnival Magic while it is docked at Port Canaveral, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Carnival Cruise Line is canceling most U.S. sailings through the end of this year. The company said Thursday it is canceling sailings from all ports except its home ports of Miami and Port Canaveral, Florida. The CDC said it knows of 3,689 reported coronavirus cases and 41 deaths linked to cruises in U.S. waters between March and September. Carnival rival Norwegian Cruise Line said Thursday that it hasnโt canceled any scheduled cruises and remains optimistic it can resume U.S. operations soon. Norwegian is listing November cruises from Florida to the Bahamas and New York to Bermuda on its website.
Families hosting a beach walk for missing firefighters
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Three weeks since Jacksonville Fire and Rescue firefighter Brian McCluney and Virginia Firefighter Justin Walker were reported missing during a fishing trip out of Port Canaveral, their families are organizing a beach walk to search for debris. The two were first reported missing Aug. 16. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, the families of the firefighters are continuing to look for answers. A flyer was posted to Facebook calling on volunteers to walk the shoreline in search of any items from McLuney's 24-foot center console fishing boat. Volunteers who find any of the items listed are asked to send a picture of the item to 904-599-6062.
How Hurricane Dorian is impacting Labor Day travel
People walk on the beach at the Cocoa Beach Pier while a cruise ship leaves Port Canaveral ahead of the approaching Hurricane Dorian. Hurricane Dorian veered toward Georgia and the Carolinas early Saturday, likely sparing Florida the worst of the storm. Cumberland Island National Seashore, located on the largest barrier island off the coast of Georgia, closed to the public on Saturday. The National Park Service noted a high risk for dangerous rip currents along Cumberland Island National Seashore beaches. The island, located about 35 miles from Savannah, Georgia, is hosting about 30,000 visitors for Labor Day weekend, with hotel occupancy near 90%, Riley estimated.
Active search for missing fishermen to end at sundown today
The U.S. Coast Guard, Navy and Customers and Border Protection aircraft will continue their massive search operation for the rest of the day. The focal point of Thursday's search was nearly 400 miles north of where the two men put out to sea. The Coast Guard said after getting first reports Thursday morning, they will have a conversation about what the future of the rescue effort will look like. Volunteers along with JFRD and the Coast Guard say this search is a personal one. Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) August 22, 2019Anyone with information about the boaters or who can help in the search is asked to call the Coast Guard at 904-714-7565.
Search for missing boaters extends into South Carolina
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is calling for volunteers to leave from Savannah and Charleston Thursday morning. "Were in some critical times right now," Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers said early Wednesday evening. Coast Guard Capt. The Coast Guard said it will have a first light search Thursday morning. Anyone with information about the boaters or who can help in the search is asked to call the Coast Guard at 904-714-7565.
Search for missing boaters extends into South Carolina
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is calling for volunteers to leave from Savannah and Charleston Thursday morning. "We're in some critical times right now," Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers said early Wednesday evening. Coast Guard Capt. The Coast Guard said it will have a first light search Thursday morning. Anyone with information about the boaters or who can help in the search is asked to call the Coast Guard at 904-714-7565.
Firefighters aren't giving up hope in search for their brothers
On Wednesday, News4Jax spent the day on a boat off the coast of Brunswick with volunteers out of Glynn County who said the search is personal for them, as many of them are firefighters and paramedics. You never go out with somebody," said Glynn County firefighter Edward Anderson. "We got two out here right now that we want to get and we want to bring them home." Anderson and other firefighters who volunteered to search said they're not giving up hope for their brothers -- Brian McCluney, who works for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and Justin Walker, a firefighter from Fairfax, Virginia. "So general courtesy when a boater is in distress, you stop and help them, and that goes beyond the water."
Massive Search Underway for Missing Firefighters Who Disappeared on Boating Trip
A massive search is underway for two firefighters who vanished during a Florida boating trip. McCluneys fishing bag was found 50 miles from St. Augustine Monday, but there was no sign of the boat they left in, authorities said. On Tuesday, helicopters were added to the search, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Weve finally started zeroing a little bit today, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers said in an update on Monday. I still could see that my messages hadnt even been delivered yet, Stephanie told the station.
Search ramps up for firefighters missing off Florida coast
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Florida fire official says his department is ramping up its search for two firefighters who've been missing since going boating in the Atlantic Ocean last week. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies have been searching a wide area of ocean between Cape Canaveral and Jacksonville. The Coast Guard said when they arrived to the search area, the debris found was not related to the boaters. Following the discovery of McCluney's tackle bag by a Good Samaritan, the Coast Guard said it will be focusing on the area where that bag was found. Anyone with information is asked to contact the United States Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville Command Center at 904-714-7558.
2 firefighters disappear on Florida fishing trip
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(CNN) - Authorities say they have searched almost 5,000 square miles of ocean for two firefighters who disappeared after setting out from Port Canaveral, Florida, on a fishing trip. Their destination was 8A Reef, an offshore fishing spot, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard, along with multiple local and county agencies, started searching by boat and air on Friday night. "I hoped that by daylight it would bring us something," McCluney's wife, Stephanie, told CNN affiliate WFTV on Saturday. As the search continues, the Coast Guard is asking for anyone with information to call 904-714-7558.