Fifty cyclists and 20 support crew members are pedaling roughly 600 miles across Florida this week, carrying the names of 22 first responders who died in the line of duty in 2025 with them from Fort Myers to Miami. Sunday night, the riders rolled into Hernando County, bedding down at the Elks Lodge in Spring Hill before continuing their journey north and east across the state.
The stop is part of the 2026 Brotherhood Ride, a seven-day event running from October 17 through 23, according to Hernando County Fire
, the official page of Hernando County Fire Rescue. The ride's own website confirms the dates and describes the team as composed of
50 riders and 20 support members
pedaling approximately 600 miles from Fort Myers to Miami. Hernando County Fire Rescue is recognizing retired HCFR Captain Dave Newman, who is participating in this year's ride.
A Route That Winds Through the Heart of Florida
According to the Sanibel-area account of this year's ride, the route begins at a Fort Myers Fire Department station and travels north to Brooksville, winds through Orlando and the east coast, before eventually heading south to conclude in Miami, as reported by leanesuarezgroup.com. The Florida Highway Patrol escorts the team for the entire 600-mile route, coordinating with local law enforcement agencies along the way, per that same account. Sanibel Fire & Rescue District Deputy Chief John DiMaria and Capt. Mike Martin are also among the dedicated cyclists taking part this year.
Along the way, the riders make honor stops at the home stations or departments of the fallen, presenting a commemorative plaque to their families and colleagues, the Sanibel-area report notes. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Captain Jason Thomas has ridden as well, and WFLA reports that riders spend the journey visiting families and offering their support along the way.
Honoring 22 Lives Lost in 2025
This year's ride honors 22 Florida first responders who died in the line of duty in 2025, per the Brotherhood Ride's own accounting. That figure has shifted from year to year — the 2024 ride honored 14 Florida first responders, while the 2025 ride honored 23, according to WGCU. The station's report does not explain why the number of honorees has varied across years.
The organization describes itself as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity composed of firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS personnel who ride bicycles to honor first responders who have died in the line of duty, according to midfloridanewspapers.com. The Brotherhood Ride traces its origin to 2007, founded after nine Charleston, South Carolina, firefighters died battling a warehouse fire, as reported by pulseofmanatee.com. Through fundraising and annual rides, the organization provides emotional and financial assistance to surviving family members, the outlet notes.
Nearly Two Decades of Honoring the Fallen
The event has grown in popularity over the years, with riders now coming from around the country to participate, according to keysweekly.com. Over the past 17 years, the group says it has honored the memory and sacrifice of 752 emergency first responders, per midfloridanewspapers.com, and reports having donated more than $900,000 to families left behind.
Last year's edition, the 2025 Brotherhood Ride, ran from October 20 through 29 and covered more than 750 miles over 10 days, with the same group of 50 cyclists and 20 support personnel averaging 70 to 90 miles per day, according to the same midfloridanewspapers.com account. The 2024 ride, by comparison, covered 600 miles over eight days, biking east to Miami and then north along the coast with stops in Orlando and Jacksonville before wrapping up in Live Oak, per WGCU.
For Hernando County, the Sunday night stop at the Elks Lodge in Spring Hill offered a chance for the public safety community to stand beside the families of fallen first responders as the riders pass through on their way across the state. Each mile of the ride serves as a tribute to those being honored, a reminder that the cyclists carry with them from one county to the next.
