CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — A father died after police and fire crews performed a water rescue in Clearwater Beach on Friday (April 26).
Crews were called to the area of the jetty near the Opal Sands just before 7 p.m.
According to the city of Clearwater, a father and son were struggling in the water on the south part of the beach.
The father, identified as Rigoberto Romero, 49, was pulled from the water and treated by police officers and fire medics. He was taken to Morton Plant Hospital where he later died, Clearwater city officials said.
The son was also taken to the hospital as a precaution. He is expected to be OK.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
