Multiple crews, including the Coast Guard, are searching the immediate coast and areas beyond 9 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
VENICE, Fla. — A search effort is ongoing Monday by air and sea to find four boaters who disappeared over the weekend on the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Sarasota County.
Authorities were told the men left around 8 a.m. Saturday from Venice and were expected to return in the evening, according to the Venice Police Department. Crews are searching the Gulf from Stump Pass to Longboat Pass.
The 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, police said. Their boat is a 1995, 23-foot white SportCraft with registration No. FL9937HC.
Police said shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office contacted Venice police to check the Marine Park boat ramp for a vehicle and boat trailer that was left behind by the men. After a search, both were found.
Local law enforcement, including the Sarasota and Manatee County sheriff’s offices and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, are reportedly searching from the shoreline to about 9 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard is searching areas beyond 9 miles.
The search is ongoing Monday and has since expanded to offshore Lee County. People who take to the water are asked to report any suspicious sightings.
Weather conditions on the Gulf were not ideal for boating during the weekend with ongoing periods of rain and wind. A small craft advisory remains in effect, with 3-5 foot seas possible, according to the National Weather Service.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Venice Police Department Detective Courtney Zak at 941-486-2444, email czak@venicfl.gov or use radio Channel 16 VHF.
