Sheriff's Office: Drowning victim was Georgia man

DESTIN — The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has identified the man who drowned Friday in the Gulf of Mexico as 63-year old Rogelio Moreno Gaitan of Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Gaitan was pulled ashore behind Captain Dave's restaurant at 3796 Scenic Highway 98 near the Okaloosa-Walton County line after surfers spotted him facedown 30 to 40 yards offshore about 4:45 p.m.

Destin Beach Safety workers tried to revive Gaitan but were unsuccessful, according to the Sheriff's Office.       

A family member said he had been swimming by himself.

The drowning came less than a week after a 65-year-old Jackson, Mississippi, man drowned in the Gulf in Destin.