A search for four men who went missing after going boating from Venice on Saturday was called off late Monday after it was expanded earlier in the day into Gulf of Mexico waters off Lee and Collier counties.
The U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District said shortly after 8 p.m. that the search for the men had been suspended "pending new information." There was no other information released.
The four were reported to be aboard a 23-foot center console boat, approximately 30 miles off Venice, and were overdue after launching from Venice Inlet Saturday morning.
Information from the Venice Police Department said the four left for a boating and fishing trip at approximately 8 a.m. Saturday and did not return as planned, according to a family member.
Shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, the Sarasota County Sheriff's dispatch contacted the Venice Police Department to check the Marina Park Boat Ramp (near the Historic Venice Train Depot) for a vehicle and boat trailer left behind by the group. The vehicle and trailer were located at the park.
The missing boaters are identified as Angel Hernandez Munoz, 38, of North Port; Ruben Mora Sr., 54, of Port Charlotte; Julio Cesar Cordero Briones, 37, of North Port; and Vargas Parra, 35, of North Port. The group’s vessel is a 1995 23-foot white SportCraft, registration # FL9937HC.
At a media briefing Monday afternoon by Capt. Andy Leisenring of the Venice Police Department, the men were described as experienced anglers who had been out fishing before.
Leisenring described conditions Saturday as not rough but eventually getting foggy and said the weather did take a turn from Saturday to Sunday with 4- to 6-foot-waves at some points.
He described conditions at times that were "not very safe to be out there for a small boat."
In addition to vessels, the Coast Guard and Sarasota County Sheriff's Office have provided fixed-wing and helicopter aerial units, Leisenring said.
The Venice police Marine Patrol had been working with the U.S. Coast Guard, Sarasota County (FL) Sheriff's Office, Sarasota Police Department, Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Sea Tow of Venice and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission in the search for the boaters.
Additional agencies, including the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Lee County Sheriff's Office, joined the search in the Gulf of Mexico Monday morning as the search area moved south to include Lee County.
The agencies searched over 4,600 square miles of surface in the Gulf, and went out up to 80 nautical miles offshore. The search for the men spanned from Sarasota County south, pushing into Collier County.
Leisenring said it was "quite a wide area being searched" and added that there was limited information provided on this particular trip.
"So I can't say, we do not know exactly how far out they were, they did not leave what we call a float plan. So they did not tell the family members exactly where they were going. And so of course that does hinder our search efforts a little bit. We have to estimate our starting point, and then adjust from there for the search," he said.
At the media briefing, FWC officer Steve Stasko said having a float plan would have helped provide more information about where the men planned to go fishing.
"When you're going out, who's going with you and when you expect to return, that's always a great plan," he said.
Medical issues among the missing men was also causing concern. Family members told Fox13 Tampa Bay that one of the men, Ruben Mora Sr., is troubled by high blood pressure and diabetes and needs medication he didn't bring with him.
Before the suspension Monday night, the Coast Guard had been searching areas beyond 10 miles offshore using multiple vessels and aircraft. Local law enforcement vessels searched from the shore to 10 miles out.
Boaters out on the water were being asked to report any information relevant to the case to Venice Police Department Detective Courtney Zak at 941-486-2444 or czak@venicefl.gov; or use radio Channel 16 VHF.
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