Lockport man missing after 10-day Florida Everglades trip found safe

MIAMI — Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service located a 57-year-old man who didn’t return from a 10-day kayaking trip into the Florida Everglades.

The Coast Guard said in a Tuesday morning news release that James Matthew Soltis, of Lockport, didn’t return as planned from an Everglades Wilderness Waterway kayaking trip.

A helicopter crew searching for Soltis spotted a man fitting his description camping about 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Coast Guard. The National Park Service confirmed that it was Soltis.

His daughter had told Everglades National Park rangers that Soltis departed from the Flamingo Visitor Center on March 15 and was expected back on Sunday.

National Park officials searched for Soltis on Monday and asked the Coast Guard for help Monday night. A helicopter crew was dispatched for a first-light search Tuesday morning.