Coast Guard rescues two people from boat beginning to sink off Florida coast

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The U.S. Coast Guard came to the rescue of two people whose boat was beginning to sink off the Florida coast this week.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector in St. Petersburg received a report of a 20-foot vessel taking on water approximately 14 miles west of Casey Key, Fla., around 4:45 p.m. Thursday.

USCG Station Cortez, located in Bradenton, responded to the call with its 45-foot Response Boat-Medium vessel and removed two people from the sinking boat.

The Cortez crew then dewatered the boat until commercial salvage arrived. 

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A crew with U.S. Coast Guard Station Cortez works to dewater a boat off the Florida coast. (United States Coast Guard)

Both passengers onboard the boat were taken back to shore without medical concerns, the Coast Guard said.

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A Google Earth image shows the coast of Florida, including the Casey Key area. (Google Earth)

Fox News Digital reached out to Station Cortez Friday for a statement on the rescue and received the following:

"We always encourage mariners to perform a function check of boat machinery, such as bilge pumps, prior to getting underway."

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The station also highly recommended having an installed VHF radio or a handheld VHF radio tuned to Channel 16, which is the International Hailing and Distress frequency.