VERO BEACH — A driver from Fort Pierce got more than a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean while sitting in his truck on a beach in Vero Beach Sunday. The driver was fined and his truck got stuck in the sand.
He also could be charged a second degree misdemeanor for destruction of state property.
Around 7:15 a.m. Sunday, a Vero Beach police officer was flagged down by a jogger on Ocean Drive, who informed the officer of seeing a truck on the beach. The truck was not at one of the city’s park beaches, instead was found on a stretch of beach opposite the intersection of Ocean Drive and Fiddlewood Road.
The officer discovered a Dodge pickup truck on the beach about 20 feet from the water and made contact with the driver and passenger.
The driver, identified as Salvatore C. Gibilisco, 26, told the officer that he drove on the beach because he wanted to watch the sunrise but his truck got stuck in the sand. His passenger, 29-year-old Michele Hagerman, of Sebastian, relayed the same information, according to the case report.
The Vero Beach police officer issued Gilisco a $50 citation for driving on the beach, which is prohibited in the city.
The truck was pulled from the sand via a tractor normally used to grade the beaches, according to the report.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officer also responded to the scene and has filed a report calling for a second degree misdemeanor charge of destruction to state property.
FWC spokesman Officer Lenny Salberg said they are waiting for an assessment on the damage to sea oaks in the area. He added it would be up to the State Attorney’s Office whether or not to charge Gilisco for the damage.
“It’s in their hands,” Ofc. Salberg said.
