Orlando Attorney Rescues Dying Cuban Refugee Lost at Sea

   Local Orlando Lawyer Mark Solomon only expected to catch Black Fin Tuna and Grouper on his recent trip to the Florida Keys. That all changed when Solomon, a regular fisherman, spotted a buoy in the nearby waters. A closer look revealed the object to be a child's life vest, clutched by a dying Cuban refugee in an attempt to escape the Communist island for US soil.

   Solomon frequently visits the Keys to practice his favorite pastime. This time he was accompanied his cousin Larry Goldstein and his wife Sue. The Captain, James Phelps, helped in the rescue process as well and called the Coast Guard. Upon receiving medical attention, the beleaguered asylum seeker's critical condition improved, though Solomon says his survival didn't appear to be certain when the anglers discovered him floating in the water.

   "The waves were really rolling, 11-12 feet," Solomon wrote in a Facebook post. "Along the way, Larry pointed to a splotch of color in the waves. I thought it was a buoy. It was a Cuban refugee clutching a kid's life preserver. He was more dead than alive. The Captain and I pulled the guy on board and immediately radioed the Coast Guard."

   The rescuers surmised the refugee may not have lived long as the monstrous billows tossed the man about. All in a day's work, following the rescue, Solomon and his fellow anglers made their way closer to shore and managed to catch a trove of fish in addition to their new found friend. Finding refugees stranded at sea may not happen every day, but when it does, they'll be in luck with Mark Solomon and Captain Phelps at the helm.