St. Pete Woman Presumed Dead In FL Keys Yacht Fire: Monroe Sheriff

FLORIDA KEYS — A St. Petersburg woman missing after a fire destroyed a yacht she was on in the Florida Keys early Wednesday morning is presumed dead, authorities said.

Linda Vella, 51, was aboard an approximately 70-foot Viking yacht at the Peary Hotel & Marina on Stock Island just after midnight, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Vella’s husband and son — Michael Kenneth Robson, 58, and Anthony Joseph Vella, 21, both of St. Petersburg, Florida — were airlifted to a hospital in Miami, the sheriff’s office said. They were visiting the area for lobster mini-season.

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Another family of four was also on the vessel but escaped uninjured.

The fire remains under investigation by the state Fire Marshal’s Office and the MCSO Major Crimes Detectives.

The boat was fully engulfed when Monroe County Fire Rescue crews arrived. They battled the blaze for approximately three hours.