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A boat that lost control triggered a marine rescue operation at Crandon Park Marina in Key Biscayne, Florida, which forced the facilities to close temporarily for several hours.
The teams of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received the call around 10:52 a.m. on Friday regarding reports of a maritime incident involving people in the water, according to the agency itself.
In the operation, firefighters, the United States Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) participated, and divers were sent to the area as part of the search efforts.
Finally, everyone involved in the accident was located, and the park reopened this Saturday.
An adult was seriously injured and was airlifted to a nearby trauma center. No additional injuries were reported, and authorities have not disclosed details regarding the causes of the incident or the identity of the injured party.
During the closure, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office issued an official community alert stating that boaters could remove their vessels from the ramp, but they could not launch new ones into the water.
The marina at Crandon Park, located at 4000 Crandon Blvd. and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, features 294 boat slips and a ramp open 24 hours a day.
It is one of the busiest nautical facilities in South Florida, especially on weekends.
The facilities were reopened on the afternoon of this Saturday, once the rescue operations were completed and the area secured. The FWC took charge of the investigation into the incident.
That same day, a second boating accident occurred in nearby waters, in the area of the Nixon Beach Sandbar in Biscayne Bay, where a woman lost her life after another vessel lost control, as confirmed by the FWC to the Miami Herald. Both incidents are under investigation by the FWC.
The coincidence of two serious accidents on the same day highlights the risks of intense nautical traffic in the area during spring weekends, when the waters of Miami-Dade experience an especially high influx of recreational boats.
Biscayne Bay and the Key Biscayne area have a history of serious boating accidents. In May 2024, 15-year-old Ella Adler tragically lost her life while practicing wakeboarding near the Nixon Beach Sandbar; two men were charged in connection with this case in April 2025 for reckless operation and violations of navigation rules.
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