Viral Sailor 'Lieutenant Dan' Arrested in Florida Over Issue With Sailboat

The viral sailor who braved Hurricane Milton on his tiny boat in Tampa, Florida is behind bars ... and it appears it's all because of an issue with where he was keeping his vessel.

Joseph Malinowski -- better known as "Lieutenant Dan" on TikTok -- was arrested first thing Friday morning in Tampa and hauled off to jail ... according to Tampa Police.

Cops tell us Dan is charged with 2 outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court, and one misdemeanor charge of trespassing in a city park after warning.

Tampa PD says officers met with Lieutenant Dan at Bayshore Linear Park and Dock Thursday ... and police say Dan told them he did not have an accessible marine sanitation device aboard his boat and didn't have a record of proper disposal of waste.

Cops say the alleged conditions on Dan's boat created a public health hazard and he was instructed to move his boat out of Bayshore Linear Park ... however, officers say he was still there Friday morning despite numerous warnings ... so he was arrested and hauled off to jail.

Lieutenant Dan's rep, Brandon Gilchrist, tells TMZ ... his team is working to bail him out.

By the way, Lieutenant Dan's viral fame is actually noted on his booking info ... his occupation is listed as "Tik Tok star."