The device, believed to be a naval mine, washed up in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, a small beachside town just north of Fort Lauderdale, Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesman Carey Codd said in a press release.
Sea mines are explosives left underwater to damage ships or submarines.
A sheriff’s deputy discovered the device on a patrol around 2:30 AM, after which the deputies secured the area and closed off a small portion of the beach.
According to the press release, the word “inert” was written on the device.
The sheriff’s office bomb commission responded, working with the United States Air Force “out of an abundance of caution” to remove the device safely from the beach, Codd said.
The beach was later reopened.
The device is now in custody by the Air Force for further investigation and investigation, reported WPLG, an affiliate of CNN.