Empty migrant boat drifted from Florida Keys to Jupiter Island, Coast Guard says

David Goodhue, Miami Herald on Oct 26, 2025

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An empty migrant raft the U.S. Coast Guard spotted off the Florida Keys earlier this month washed ashore on Jupiter Island this weekend.

On Saturday, the makeshift vessel of wooden planks on pontoons with a wooden rudder, beached in the choppy surf off the Martin County island, prompting the sheriff’s office to issue a statement on social media.

The sheriff’s office said it was in contact with the Coast Guard regarding the raft and that no migrants have been found or reported missing. Officials believe it drifted the roughly 200-mile journey due to recent windy weather that’s been impacting South Florida.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg told the Miami Herald the agency spotted the boat, which was unmanned, about 35 miles off the Middle Keys city of Marathon on Oct. 11. Coast Guard crews searched the area for people in distress, but did not find anyone, Strasburg said.

The Coast Guard also did not receive any reports about missing people at the time, Strasburg added, so the agency suspended its search.

The Keys are a frequent maritime migrant destination, especially with people fleeing Cuba. At times, local and federal authorities respond to multiple arrivals per week. But, since the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts and its crackdown on undocumented immigration, arrivals have become much more infrequent.