Hillsborough County, FL – Two Tampa men face criminal charges after allegedly attempting to evade Florida wildlife officers on jet skis during a boating enforcement incident in Hillsborough County.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced October 30th that two men, ages 25 and 23, were arrested following an investigation into the July 12 encounter.
According to FWC investigators, an officer responded to reports of three jet skis allegedly operating illegally inside a designated slow-speed zone.
The officer located two watercraft matching the descriptions and identified himself as law enforcement before ordering the operators to stop.
Authorities allege the two men ignored those instructions and accelerated through the restricted waterway to avoid the officer.
Investigators subsequently reviewed surveillance footage, interviewed witnesses and examined mobile phone data to identify the operators involved.
FWC officials said the investigation resulted in arrest warrants for both men. Authorities also impounded one of the jet skis.
The suspects face charges including fleeing to elude law enforcement, resisting an officer without violence, interfering with an FWC officer and violating slow-speed boating regulations.
Additional citations involved allegedly improper vessel registration displays, expired watercraft registration and failure to update driver’s license information.
FWC Capt. Mathew Dallarosa said attempting to escape officers on waterways creates safety risks for other boaters and nearby residents.
Florida establishes slow-speed zones to protect marine wildlife, regulate vessel traffic and reduce boating accidents.
Authorities have not identified the exact waterway where the incident occurred.
Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.