Coast Guard suspends search for man missing off coast of Port Richey, FL
USCG photos of Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater members during search.
Clearwater, Florida - On Wednesday, August 16, 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for a man, 57 year-old Andre Nolasco, who was reported missing off the coast of Port Richey, Floida, pending new information. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Andre Nolasco, please contact the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command center at (727) 824-7506.
Nolasco’s girlfriend contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at approximately 12:00 pm on Monday, August 14, 2023, reporting that Nolasco was overdue after launching from Nick’s Park Boat Ramp in Port Richey, Florida on Sunday morning, August 13, to go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Over the span of three days, rescue crews searched approximately 1,514 square miles. Nolasco's boat was found, about 8 miles west of Hudson, Florida, but no one was aboard. The kill switch, which cuts off a boat’s engine if the operator is thrown overboard, was activated. A life jacket was on board; it is unknown if Nolasco was wearing a life jacket.
"We offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to Andre Nolasco’s loved ones," said Lt. Carleigh Long, SAR Mission Coordinator at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. "The decision to suspend a search is always difficult and never done lightly.”
Crews involved in the search included Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Coast Guard Station Sand Key, Coast Guard Station Yankeetown, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hernando County Sheriff's Office, and Pasco County Sheriff's Office.