A speedboat was found in Miami waters but the boater is missing, authorities say
By Michelle Marchante and
David Goodhue
The Coast Guard released a photo of the 32-foot speed boat that was found near the Julia Tuttle Causeway Tuesday night, Nov. 9, 2021. The 36-year-old man driving the boat was reported missing.
U.S. Coast Guard
A search is underway for a missing boater in the waters between downtown Miami and Miami Beach.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said they responded to a boating incident around 11 p.m. Tuesday near the Julia Tuttle Causeway, which connects Miami to Miami Beach.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Reynier Moreno, 36, was test-driving a 32-foot speedboat near Pelican Harbor Marina near the 79th Street Causeway before he went missing.
#Breaking@USCG, partner agencies are searching for a 36 yo man, who was last seen @ 7 p.m. Tues. near Pelican Harbor Marina, #Miami, test driving a 32-ft vessel. The vessel was recovered. If you have info on his whereabouts, call Sector Miami @ 305-535-4472 #SAR#CallToActionpic.twitter.com/IuIUbI3pbO
FWC spokesman Ronald Washington said crews found the boat Reynier was driving but no one was on board. Rescue crews in two boats and one aviation unit are searching the Biscayne Bay waters around the causeway for him.
Reynier Moreno U.S. Coast Guard
No other information was immediately available.
The Coast Guard is asking that anyone with information to call Sector Miami at 305-535-4472.
This article will be updated.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 8:35 AM.
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription
