Florida FWC Issues BOLO for Missing Boater, Boat
Investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are asking the public to help them find the boat and boater that have been missing since Wednesday from a boat ramp in the Intracoastal Waterway near New Smyrna Beach.
The boat looks very similar to the one pictured. It is described as a 1989, 14- to 15-foot outboard motor boat, white in color with a narrow pinstripe around the hull. The registration number is FL 2228 GX. It has a white, Chrysler motor and a light-colored Bimini top.
If anyone sees this vessel please call local law enforcement at 911 or the FWC’s hotline at 888-404-3922.
Enrique Bernardo Hernandez Rubio (DOB 08-20-64) of Apopka was reported missing to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department around 1 a.m. Thursday. He had left home around 5 a.m. Wednesday and apparently launched his boat at the North Causeway boat ramp to test-ride the boat and possibly go fishing.
When his family was unable to reach him by telephone they drove to the ramp, found his truck and boat trailer, but not him or the vessel.
The search has been ongoing since around 1 a.m. Thursday by the U.S. Coast Guard, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, New Smyrna Beach Police Department, Volusia County Beach Patrol and the FWC.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
