'Heart-Wrenching': 60 Drownings Occur In FL In First Half Of 2024

FLORIDA — State officials are encouraging water safety after they say 60 people have drowned in Florida in the first half of 2024.

Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, in front of a Monroe County swimming pool, reminded residents that the Sunshine State is surrounded by water.

Just this year, she said 60 people have drowned across the state. Drownings are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4, she said.

"That is heart-wrenching. That is something that for us, the governor, myself, is completely unacceptable. We want to make sure that we provide everyone ample opportunities, the tools (and) the resources they need to keep their children safe. Drownings are completely preventable," Nuñez said.

" ... You think about that. That's 60 families upended. Sixty families destroyed having to deal with that tragic situation. So we want to do everything we can as a community, as a state, to be able to bring information to individuals, make sure that they understand that we all have a role to play, that we all have a responsibility to keep ourselves and our family members, especially our children, safe."

She said Tuesday that Florida is home to about 1.5 million residential pools, at least 42,000 public pools and at least 825 miles of sandy beaches.

"So more important than ever, we want to make sure that we bring awareness to water safety and drowning prevention," Nuñez said.

Of the 60 fatal drownings, 47 of them involved children who were not supposed to be in or near water, said Shevaun Harris, secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

"This is a stark reminder that we cannot let our guards down ever, even when we're not around water," Harris said.

At least 80 percent of drowning deaths reported to the DFCS hotline involved children during non-swim hours, she noted. In the last month, she added 14 children have drowned to death.

This includes a 6-year-old child who had been diagnosed with autism. Harris said the child died Sunday and was found near a body of water. She did not say where in Florida the drowning happened.

"The loss of a child is unimaginable, and for families who've experienced such a tragedy, my heart goes out to you," Harris said. "We are here today to ensure that no other parent has to go through that because water-related injuries and fatalities (are) preventable when the right precautions are taken."

Drownings can happen to anyone, no matter the age, and they can occur in merely seconds, she said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Florida ranked fourth in the nation for unintentional drowning deaths among all ages in 2021 with 2.23 fatalities per 100,000 population, behind Alaska (4.54), Hawaii (3.37), and Louisiana (2.78).

From 2019 to 2021 combined, Florida was ranked the highest in the U.S. for unintentional drowning death rate among children ages 1 to 4 years (6.64 per 100,000 population), the state health department said. Florida had the highest unintentional drowning death rate of 3.25 per 100,000 population among children 0 to 9 years of age compared to other states.

Annually, there are dozens of children under the age of 5 lost to drowning, Florida CHARTS said:

• 60 in 2020
• 75 in 2021
• 67 in 2022

Florida Surgeon Gen. Joseph A. Ladapo advocated for layers of protection concerning water safety.

Thanks to a newly approved voucher program, Nuñez said free swimming lessons will be offered to low-income families who have one or more children ages 4 and younger.

In his approval, she said Gov. Ron DeSantis allocated $500,000 to the Florida Department of Public Health for implementing the program.

"That means that we are making it easier for Florida families to enjoy all that our state has to offer and giving them the resources they need to do so," Nuñez said.

She offered the following water safety tips:

• Supervise children at all times, even if they can swim or in the bathtub.
• Engage in swimming lessons.
• Ensure pool barriers and gates meet state law requirements.
• Add extra protection to unsupervised access to everything, such as hot tubs, by providing lock covers and working alarms on doors and windows.
• Follow life jacket laws.
• Learn CPR.
• Check local conditions when heading to the beach.