SAN ANTONIO — The iconic coach, used for years to ferry Fiesta royalty through the Battle of Flowers Parade and the Fiesta Flambeau Night Parade, is missing.

John Melleky, CEO of Fiesta San Antonio Commission, said in a statement Monday that the 24-foot trailer likely was stolen Oct. 24. Normally kept indoors, it temporarily was being kept in an outdoor area at Southwest Parades Inc., on the East Side.

A lock restricting access to the outdoor, fenced-in area had been cut, officials said.

San Antonio police are investigating but had no new information Monday afternoon.

“This is the first time we know of someone stealing a (Fiesta) float,” said Melleky. The Rey Feo float was reported missing last year as a result of a miscommunication but was not stolen.

The Edgewood Independent School District ended up with the Rey Feo float, Edgewood spokesman Roland Martinez told the San Antonio Express-News last year. Martinez said then that the district gained possession after a foreman where the parade float had been stored called the district and offered it up as something that was about to be scrapped.

After numerous news reports and a $5,000 reward offer, the district learned the float had been reported missing, immediately contacted authorities and returned the float to the Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation.

The Rey Feo float, worth an estimated $35,000, now rests in a Consejo member’s commercial building.

The newly vanished float, described as an “icon,” has for years carried royalty, including Miss Fiesta San Antonio, the Fiesta Teen Queen, the Queen of Soul and Miss San Antonio.

Melleky said it would cost $15,000 to $20,000 to replace the float.

Though the trailer that ferried royalty last was seen covered by a blue tarp, according to the Fiesta Commission, it can’t be missed — covered with bright-colored bunting, the float contains a large guitar, piñatas and other decorations that make it look like an outdoor plaza on wheels.

The Fiesta San Antonio Commission issued a plea to the public, asking the community to help raise funds to replace the float “so that the Fiesta royalty may participate in the 2015 parades.”

Pledges may be made online at www.fiesta-sa.org or by calling 210-227-5191, Extension 101.

Staff Writer Kolten Parker contributed to this report.

ezavala@express-news.net

Twitter: @elizabeth2863