JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A warrant was issued Wednesday for a man stranded in his sailboat in Jacksonville Beach who was also arrested earlier in the month for leaving the vessel there.
In late October, 43-year-old John Lucas Rehberg said his 40-foot sailboat lost power, forcing him to swim to shore, which drew crowds the following day. Rehberg then said he was robbed about five days into being stranded. Rehberg faced eviction in November, but highlighted a significant community response to his plight.
He later said he intended to stay in Jacksonville.
He was arrested on Dec. 13 by Jacksonville Beach Police Department and released Dec. 14 on a charge of leaving or abandoning a derelict vessel. He received a citation Nov. 4 from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission regarding a failure to change interest or address vessel within 30 days.
He told First Coast News he did not have the money for the $12,000 cost of an industrial-grade tugboat to remove the sailboat from the beach or $15,000 he said the authorities would charge him to remove it.
In a statement Thursday, Rehberg said his plan for the vessel was to have the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission pick up the boat, and then pay the bill using money from a GoFundMe campaign.
He wrote: "I am 100% embarrassed by the fact that the vessel is still on Jax Beach. I truly do not know what to do next. I will be handling legal matters during the business day tomorrow (Friday) and returning to Jax Beach the instant warrants are dropped, estimated time of arrival this coming Wednesday. Don't want to spend the holidays in jail with no judge hearing cases.”
Rehberg also admits negligence contributed to his failure to remove the boat. "I firmly believe in a good attitude and simply doing what needs to come next as the cards fall," he said. "A great deal of the current situation involving arrest warrant is negligence to handle the situation and a timely manner. It is resulting from time on the beach and a loss of documents and paperwork, but that is no excuse."