ST. PETERSBURG — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 50-year-old man whose body was found along the St. Petersburg shoreline after his small boat capsized.
A passerby discovered Jeremy Allen Franklin’s body near the Jungle Prada de Narvaez Park boat ramp on Feb. 1, according to the sheriff’s office. Franklin was wearing a life jacket.
St. Petersburg police initially responded and called for a sheriff’s helicopter to search for a vessel. The helicopter crew spotted an overturned boat south of the War Veteran’s Memorial Park boat ramp, deputies said.
Investigators found a vehicle with a small boat trailer in a nearby parking lot and determined Franklin had recently purchased a homemade boat, according to the sheriff’s office. He went out on the water alone.
The death does not appear suspicious, deputies said. The sheriff’s office has notified Franklin’s next of kin.