JUPITER, FL — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for Matt Pawlowski, a 48-year-old paddleboarder who was last seen Monday morning off Jupiter Beach. Officials said he was about four miles offshore and heading east when he disappeared, prompting an overnight search that continued into Tuesday.
The Coast Guard identified Pawlowski as the missing paddleboarder and said he was last seen at 9 a.m. on Sept. 14 on a 14-foot lime green and yellow paddleboard. He was reportedly wearing a white hat, orange shirt and gray shorts.
Last seen heading east on a 14-foot paddleboard
According to the Coast Guard, Pawlowski was observed moving east on the paddleboard in waters off Jupiter Beach. The agency said the position of the craft, along with drift patterns and possible routes, is shaping the search area.
The description of the board and clothing has become part of the effort to find him. Officials said the paddleboard was lime green and yellow and measured 14 feet, details that may help people on the water recognize any sign of Pawlowski or the board.
The search is being coordinated around where he was last seen and where currents may have carried him afterward. That approach is standard in open-water searches, especially when time passes and a person’s exact location is unknown.
Air and surface crews kept searching through the night
The Coast Guard said the search continued overnight and resumed Tuesday with both air and surface crews. Agencies involved included Coast Guard Air Station Miami, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Station Lake Worth Inlet, Station Fort Pierce and Coast Guard Cutter William Flores.
Multiple local law enforcement agencies are also helping. The combination of aircraft, boats and shoreline units gives search teams a wider area to cover as they work from the last known position outward.
Officials have not said how long Pawlowski may have been in the water or whether any personal items have been recovered. The search remains focused on finding any trace that could narrow the likely path he took after he was last seen.
NextEra Energy confirmed connection to Juno Beach executive
WPBF 25 News reported that Pawlowski is the vice president at NextEra Energy in Juno Beach. NextEra Energy is the parent company of Florida Power & Light, one of the state’s largest utility companies.
That connection has drawn added attention to the case, though the Coast Guard has not linked his job to the search effort in any way. For now, officials are treating him as a missing person and continuing to ask for public help.
Pawlowski’s professional role adds another local tie to the story, but the urgent focus remains on the open-water search. The Coast Guard has not released any additional details about how he may have gotten into trouble.
Public asked to call Coast Guard Sector Miami with tips
Anyone with information that could help is asked to contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami at 305-535-4472. Even small details could matter, especially from boaters, surfers or beachgoers who were in the area Monday morning.
The Coast Guard has not announced any change in its search plan and has continued to frame the effort around Pawlowski’s last known position. Officials are also using drift information and possible routes to guide their work.
Because the search is taking place offshore, the agency is relying on coordinated air, sea and land support. That has included federal crews and local agencies working together to sweep the waters off Palm Beach County.
Jupiter Beach search comes after a Monday morning disappearance
The case began when Pawlowski was reported missing after he was last seen Monday morning. Since then, the Coast Guard has kept up the search through the night and into Tuesday without announcing that he has been found.
At this point, officials are still working with the information from his last sighting: a 48-year-old man on a lime green and yellow paddleboard, wearing a white hat, orange shirt and gray shorts, four miles off Jupiter Beach.
The ongoing effort reflects the difficulty of locating someone lost in open water, where weather, currents and time can quickly complicate the search. For now, the Coast Guard says it is continuing to follow the clues available to it.
search teams rely on drift patterns and last-known location
Searchers are using Pawlowski’s last known position as the center of the operation, then layering in current conditions and likely drift. That information helps determine where a person or paddleboard may have moved after the original sighting.
The Coast Guard’s method in this case reflects the realities of an offshore search. The farther from shore and the more time that passes, the more teams depend on calculations, experienced crews and coordinated coverage to guide the search area.
