2 Florida teens found safe after going missing while paddleboarding in Cedar Key: deputies

LEVY COUNTY, Fla. - Two Florida teenagers who went missing while paddleboarding in Cedar Key on Monday have been found safe, according to the Levy County Sheriff's Office.

"The girls have been located. Cold but otherwise healthy," the sheriff's office said on Tuesday in an update on social media.

Deputies said the teens were discovered by search volunteers early Tuesday morning, near Porpoise Point in the area of Yankeetown – about 14 miles southeast of Cedar Key.

Two teenagers who went missing while paddleboarding in Cedar Key, Florida were found by search volunteers early Tuesday morning, authorities said. (Credit: Levy County Sheriff's Office)

The backstory:

On March 17, two 16-year-old girls were reported missing after they failed to return from a paddleboarding trip in Cedar Key, according to the Levy County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said the girls were last seen around 4 p.m., paddling toward Cedar Key from Atsena Otie. The teens were sharing a black-and-white paddleboard.

The Levy County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Coast Guard conducted search efforts both on the water and from the air.

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