Warrant issued for owner of sailboat beached on Jacksonville Beach

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The owner of a Jacksonville Beach sailboat that washed ashore more than two months ago now has a warrant out for his arrest.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a warrant for John Rehberg.

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According to court records, he failed to pay the necessary fees to transfer the title of his sailboat to FWC.

Action News Jax learned that Rehberg was arrested by the Jacksonville Beach Police Department on Dec. 13.

RELATED: Running out of time: FWC to take possession of stranded vessel at Jax Beach by midnight

He was charged with abandoning his boat and released from jail the next day.

As these legal issues continue to unfold, those from and visiting Jacksonville Beach have expressed concerns the boat has since become a safety hazard and public nuisance.

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“It could really become a danger. You know, because we have seen a lot of kids, you know, climbing on it,” Carla Minton said.

“There’s graffiti on it, the masters, or not, the boom, maybe it’s called, is laying over on the beach over there. So eventually, it could become a safety hazard,” Randall Passman said.

This all began when Rehberg said the boat lost power and washed to shore on Oct. 23. Since then, the story has gained attention up and down the Florida coast.

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“We’re from New Smyrna Beach and Titusville, which is about an hour and a half south. And we came up and like ... he had said, we’ve been seeing it on the news for quite some time,” Minton said.

And now the only question that remains is: when will the boat finally be moved?

Action News Jax has reached out to FWC and is waiting to hear back. We will update this story when we have more information.

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