Man, 71, drowns at Coquina Beach

A 71-year-old Bradenton man lost his life in the waters off Coquina Beach.

BY JASON SCHAFFER SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACHWhile the water may look calm and harmless, a number of drowning deaths have struck the Gulf coast of Florida over the last month, and a 71-year-old Bradenton man was the latest to succumb to unpredictable Gulf waters on June 26.

Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz said in his report that he arrived in the area of 400 Gulf Drive S. on June 26 at 2:40 p.m. to find EMS, fire and beach patrol already on the scene providing CPR to Benjamin Warren Griffith, 71, of Bradenton.

“While the medical professionals were operating on Griffith, I gathered witness information and an explanation of events,” Diaz said in his report. “A witness said she had observed the victim swimming out halfway to the buoy where he was for an undisclosed amount of time. By the time they noticed Griffith was in the water, they were not sure if he was face up or face down. When she realized he was face down, the witness, Kimberly Lampercht, went out in the water to grab him and brought him to shore, then called 911.”

EMS transported Griffith to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he later died.

Diaz’ report states it is unknown whether he had any health issues that may have been related to the incident.

At least 12 people have died in the past month on Florida's Gulf coast, including seven in Panama City and one in Destin - former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett.

Both cities are in Florida's panhandle.

According to the National Weather Service, there have been more than 1,000 surf zone fatalities since 2010, including 60 so far this year. Of those, 17 have occurred along the Gulf of Mexico coast and all but two involved rip currents.

Officials advise swimming parallel to the beach - not toward it - to get out of a rip current. Once clear of the current's pull, swim towards the beach or call for help.