Deputies identify body found in Lake Tarpon as Gibsonton man

PALM HARBOR — A man whose body was found floating in Lake Tarpon last week was identified Thursday as Thomas C. Bryant, 61, of Gibsonton.

The cause of Bryant's death has not been determined but is not considered suspicious, Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies said.

A man saw Bryant's unmanned 18-foot, red Bass Tracker adrift on the lake Friday and called 911.

Deputies towed it in and found fishing gear, a cooler, shoes and keys. A search of nearby boat ramps turned up the boat owner's vehicle and boat trailer.

A marine search turned up Bryant's body in 10 minutes.

Deputies withheld his name because they struggled to find his next of kin, said Sgt. Tom Nestor, a sheriff's spokesman.

Neighbors told detectives Bryant had recently had a stroke. A former girlfriend said he could not swim.

He was wearing street clothes, but not a life vest, when deputies pulled him from the lake.

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