DANIA BEACH, Fla. – Authorities have released the identities of two men who died and a third man who survived after their boat capsized Tuesday afternoon in the Atlantic Ocean off Dania Beach.
Eric Pilgrim, 48, of Fort Lauderdale, and John Blount, 48, of Pembroke Pines, died in the boating accident, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Wednesday.
A third man, identified as Thomas Rodriguez, 32, of Oakland Park, was rescued.
The three men were boating about a half-mile away from Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park shortly before 2:30 p.m. when their 22-foot boat capsized, FWC spokeswoman Carol Lyn Parrish said.
She said the boat left Port Everglades and was tied to a mooring buoy at the time of the accident.
"John was a loving and dedicated husband and father," a statement on behalf of the Blount family said. "My sister and John were married for 22 years and have three beautiful daughters. Our family is devastated by this tragedy. We are trying to take comfort in the fact that he died doing what he loved, fishing."
A neighbor told Local 10 News that Blount was an experienced angler.
"I know that him and his neighbor next door, they used to go and go out deep-sea fishing and things like that, so he loved to fish," neighbor Larry Mumford said.