Man from Texas drowns in Gulf off Florida Panhandle beach

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — A man who drowned in the Gulf of Mexico on a Florida Panhandle beach has been identified as a 27-year-old construction worker from Texas.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the man from Houston drowned in waters off Destin on Sunday.

Officials did not release his name but said the man was vacationing in the area with friends. Emergency workers received word of a man struggling in the water a good distance from shore on New Year’s Day.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, fire department first responders, the Walton Sheriff’s Office, the Coast Guard and others assisted in searching for the man.

He was found dead about 40 minutes later.