The search continued Sunday for a 57-year-old Fort Myers attorney and his 33-year-old nephew after they were reported missing on Dec. 19 after fishing off the coast of Naples.
The U.S. Coast Guard, along with partner agencies, is leading the search for attorney Randall Spivey and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, who were reported missing around 9 p.m. Friday. The boat they were traveling in was scheduled to return at sunset.
Luis Garcia, a Coast Guard watch supervisor in St. Petersburg, said the two were out on the water on a 42-foot Freeman boat named the Unstopp-A-Bull. The Coast Guard found the boat floating upright in a bay about 70 miles off the coast of Naples, with no sign of the missing boater.
Now, one of the largest searches in Southwest Florida history is underway, with a massive community effort behind it.
As of noon on Sunday, December 21, here’s what we know so far.
Has Fort Myers’ missing Florida boater been found? Boater’s wife provides update
As of 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, Florida boaters Randall Spivey and Brandon Biermeier, who went missing after fishing off the coast of Naples on Dec. 19, had not been found, according to Biermeier’s wife, Deborah.
“Update after speaking with the U.S. Coast Guard this morning,” Deborah Biermeier wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “Unfortunately, the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was still on board. They were fishing on the bottom when the incident occurred (still not sure exactly what happened.)”
The post also noted that several life jackets were not found on the boat, indicating that Spivey and Bill Meyer may have been wearing them.
Who is involved in the search for Florida’s missing boaters?
On the morning of Saturday, December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg posted about the search on social media.
Air and ground crews from the agency and partner agencies U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office participated in the search, according to the Facebook post.
The next morning, Deborah Billmaier wrote in her post: “The search included an 87-foot watercraft, 45-foot boat, 60-foot helicopter, 144 aircraft, 6130 Air Force aircraft from Patrick AFB and 144 aircraft operating continuously throughout the day (not sure if this was a boat or an aircraft).”
An emergency maritime broadcast was also sent to all ships in the area to help expand the search area, Billmeier said.
Community steps in to help search for missing Florida boater
The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated one of the largest search parties in Southwest Florida history on Sunday morning, Dec. 21, starting at dawn, said Deborah Biermeier, Brandon Biermeier’s wife. In her Facebook post, she asked for help from ships who could.
Florida Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman shared the post on X.
Erin Shaw Harrel of the Facebook group SWFL Boaters urged people to get on the water Saturday to search for the missing boater and provided the search coordinates: 25-51.67N 083-12.16W.
Brent Stokes, owner of Stokes Marine, also asked for volunteers to help with the search.
Stokes said anyone willing to help with the search can call Tricia Spivey (239-896-4099) or the U.S. Coast Guard (727-322-4180).
Who are Randall Spivey and Brandon Biermeier? Florida attorney and nephew missing in Fort Myers
Fort Myers attorney Randy Spivey (pictured) and his nephew Brandon Biermeier disappeared Dec. 19 during a fishing trip off the coast of Naples.
Attorney Randall Spivey, 57, and his nephew Brandon Billmaier, 33, were reported missing on Friday, December 19, around 9 p.m.
Tricia Spivey reported her husband and nephew missing Friday night, said Coast Guard Watch Superintendent Luis Garcia in St. Petersburg. “They were going to fish about 102 miles offshore.”
Spivey is described as a white male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 245 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing khaki pants and a dark shirt, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Bill Meyer is a white male, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 250 pounds, with strawberry hair and brown eyes.
Where was the missing fisherman’s boat found?
Garcia said the two went out on a 42-foot Freeman boat called the “Unstopp-A-Bull.” The Coast Guard later found the boat floating upright in a bay about 70 miles off the coast of Naples, but there was no sign of the missing boater.
Tricia Spivey said GPS coordinates from the ship’s location tracker led them to that location near Marco Island and Flamingo. This is where the search is concentrated.
The Coast Guard found a 42-foot Freeman boat, the Unstopp-A-Bull, floating upright in the bay, but there was no sign of the missing crew members, attorney Randall Spivey, 57, and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier, 33.
Where to call with information to help find missing Florida boater
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating Spivey and Bill Meyer.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of the two men, they can call 911, if applicable, or the Sheriff’s Office at 477-1000. To remain anonymous, you can also call SWFL Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.
This article originally appeared in the Fort Myers News-Press: Missing boaters updated Sunday as search continues in Florida