
Discreet investigations. Bespoke intelligence. Strategic protection.
Led by a former special operations strategist and FBI special agent, Kingfisher delivers discreet investigations, tailored intelligence, and protective strategies for discerning clients.
We’re a licensed investigative and intelligence agency in Naples, serving clients across Florida. From quiet surveillance to complex matters requiring strategy and discretion, our work is built on experience rarely found under one roof: military special operations, federal law enforcement, and years of solving sensitive problems where the margin for error was measured in lives and livelihoods.
At every turn, we are committed to trust, discretion, and precision.
About Kingfisher
I grew up here in Florida. After the military and time in special operations, I spent years working investigations in the FBI. Kingfisher is a way of putting that background to work for people who need clarity and protection, but without the bureaucracy and noise.
This isn’t a big firm. It’s a small practice built on trust and judgment. The kind of place where you know who’s working your case and how it’s being handled.
Bryce Ernst, Founder
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Our Service Areas
Investigations
Most of the work starts here. Sometimes it’s following someone to see where they go and who they meet. Sometimes it’s digging into paper trails, property records, or financial accounts to figure out what’s real and what isn’t. We locate people who don’t want to be found, trace assets that have been hidden, document fraud, and support attorneys with evidence that stands up in court. The point is always the same: to take something uncertain and turn it into something you can act on with confidence.
Intelligence
This is the deeper background work. When you’re hiring, investing, or entering into any kind of relationship, you need to know who’s on the other side. We run full-scale background investigations, discreet profiling, and due diligence checks. We research companies, vendors, contractors, and household staff. We look for gaps in the story, things that don’t add up, or risks that aren’t obvious at first glance. Sometimes it’s digital forensics, sometimes it’s open-source research, sometimes it’s human sources. However it’s done, the goal is the same: to give you a clear picture before you commit.
Personal Protection
Protection is more than having someone stand beside you. It’s planning, foresight, and blending security into everyday life so it doesn’t get in the way. For some clients, that means a protective detail while traveling abroad. For others, it’s securing the home environment, planning safe movements for family, or having a trained professional nearby in situations where the risk is higher. We build protection programs for executives and families that are low-profile, practical, and designed to let life continue as normally as possible while still keeping people safe.
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We’re licensed by the State of Florida and fully insured. Headquartered in Naples, serving clients across the state.
Why Choose Kingfisher
Experience that’s hard to fake.
Years in special operations, protective intelligence, and investigations, brought to bear for private clients where accuracy and discretion matter most.
Personal attention.
A limited caseload ensures every matter gets the time it deserves, with direct involvement from start to finish.
Evidence over guesswork.
Answers built on tradecraft, technology, and legwork. Facts that hold up when it counts.
Florida roots.
Born and raised in Naples, with a network and local knowledge that matter, and a perspective shaped by time both here and abroad.
Secure by default.
Encrypted email, locked-down file sharing, and strict privacy at every stage.
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Real words from real clients.
“We didn’t know who this boy was, but he kept showing up around our daughter.”
“We were worried our business partner was planning to leave and take everything with him.”
Notes From the Field
Stories and lessons carried from time in the military, the FBI, and private security. Some are about tradecraft or the people met along the way, others about small details that ended up shaping the outcome of a case. They aren’t polished essays, just reflections on the work and lessons learned from both successes and failures. That perspective shapes how investigations, intelligence, and protection are handled today.