Coast Guard recovers body from Tampa Bay

A search crew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, recovered the body of a man in Tampa Bay at 9:08 p.m. Tuesday after a three-hour search conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a report that a 35-year-old man had fallen overboard in the vicinity of the Port of Manatee.

At approximately 6 p.m., an HH60 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and a 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg arrived onscene and began searching in conjunction with crews from Pinellas County Fire and Rescue, Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and an Eckerd College rescue crew, according to a Coast Guard press release.

The body was located within the search area approximately two miles northeast of the Port Manatee channel.

The body was taken to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg to be transferred to Hillsborough County.

A companion told investigators the man fell overboard and struggled unsuccessfully for 45 minutes trying to get back into the boat, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.