By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that a Texas man, Floyd Dean Devasier, was arrested after allegedly driving a rental boat from the Florida Keys to Cuba?
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Devasier, 63, rented a 26.5-foot Panga boat from Beach Weekend Key West Marina last Tuesday and agreed to follow maritime laws and return the vessel by the end of the business day on Wednesday. However, the boat was later tracked heading south in the Atlantic Ocean before its GPS signal ceased. Cuban authorities detained Devasier and a 38-year-old woman, and he was subsequently arrested in Miami by federal agents on a MCSO warrant.
Marina owner James Nabor who rented the boat to Floyd Dean Devasier asked, “How in the world did we end up losing a boat to Cuba? I didn’t think that was even in play as a rental operator.” Nabors also claimed that all of Devasier’s license and credit cards checked out.
According to available court records, Devasier has prior drug convictions, and in 2019, another rental boat he kept too long, also ended up in Cuba. Devasier is currently being held in the Miami-Dade County jail with a $150,000 bond.