Gainesville, Ga. resident drowns in Fla.

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) A man from Gainesville, Ga. drowned off Panama City Beach, where authorities say several other people had to be rescued from a strong rip current.

Panama City Beach police say witnesses saw 27-year-old Armando Velazques struggling in chest deep water near the M.B. Miller County Pier on Tuesday.

The Panama City News Herald reports that Velazques was later spotted face down in the water and brought to shore. Emergency workers took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities say three teens from Alabama were caught in a rip current in the same area a short time later.

Yellow flags warning of medium risks in the water were posted at the time.