CLERMONT – Veteran boater and Clermont Police Sgt. Thomas Stone was eager to get the department’s new patrol boat on the water for the Memorial Day weekend. As the unofficial start of summer and as expected, Lake Minneola was busy with boats, paddleboards. personal watercrafts and kayaks.
Officers patrolled the water on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and stopped 26 people. No personal floatation
devices, no proof of boaters’ safety course and no-wake zone violations were the main issues. Most were
handled with warnings and a few were sent back to shore.
*The rules are in place to keep people safe and that’s our message to everyone this weekend.” Sgt. Stone said.
“We don’t want to be the bad guys and ruin your day on the water, but we would rather do that then have to
respond to a tragedy.’
The Clermont Police Marine Unit has been patrolling Lake Minneola for the past year using the Clermont Fire
Department boat. Considering there are 14 lakes in the city limits, including the 11 lakes connected to the
Palatlakaha River that make up the Clermont Chain of Lakes, an efficient water patrol unit is important.
A 23-foot, Pathfinder 2300 HPS, powered by a Yamaha 250 HSO and equipped with two, eight-foot power pole
anchors, as well as blue lights and a siren, this boat is the perfect addition to the police department.
The bay boat design creates a stable platform in calm and choppy waters, the anchor poles allow the boat to be
secured when another boater needs assistance and the T-top canopy can be lowered to allow navigation under
low bridges and other overhead obstacles. “When a storm rolls in and the water gets choppy, the boat ramp gets real busy as everyone wants to get their boat out at the same time,” he said. “This boat will allow us to safely and effectively continue to patrol and be there if we are needed.”
