Florida is on track to outpace last year in the number of childhood drowning deaths, according to experts at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (NCH), who say the state could see 2026 become the deadliest year on record.
Last year, Florida recorded its highest number of child drowning deaths, with 120 children losing their lives. Now, with at least 74 childhood drownings already this year, the hospital system is sounding the alarm.
Malvina Duncan is a registered nurse and NCH’s injury prevention specialist. She tracks and trends trauma data in the community to implement programs and campaigns that address public safety issues.
She says one of the main culprits they’re seeing when it comes to drowning prevention is the interruption of structured swim lessons for young children.
“It’s interesting to think that something that happened back in 2020 and 2021 — speaking of COVID — is actually showing the repercussions to this day,” Duncan said. “It’s been four or five years. Those are the years that we would always be encouraging parents to introduce their children to swim safety.”
Another factor, she says, is Floridians’ proximity to water, from coastlines to lakes, springs, canals and swimming pools.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. It is also the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14.
Children with autism are at an even higher risk of drowning — up to 160 times higher than children in the general pediatric population.
“Children of that age are more likely to drown because they do not have knowledge of that risk. Children with autism are at more risk for a few reasons,” said Duncan.
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“Many [children with autism] participate in what we call elopement behaviors. They just get up and leave. When that happens, we want to make sure we’re looking for them in any body of water because, unfortunately, water and the way the sun hits it is attractive, and they don’t recognize the risk in that, [either].”
She says autistic children may also seek the sensation of being underwater because of how calming it can be, but may not have the skills to come out of the water.
These tragedies are preventable with the right approach.
Layers of protection
The first layer of protection Duncan suggests when children are in or around the water is designating a “water watcher,” or a responsible adult whose sole responsibility is watching the children for a designated amount of time.
“Every year we have incidents where parents assume that other people are watching their children because they just happen to have a couple of adults there and somebody must be watching. But we, in fact, find that’s not the case. So assigning a water watcher is another layer of supervision that can help keep kids safe in and around water.”
Duncan says having children wear bright colors, especially in open water, can make it easier to spot them.
Many drowning incidents happen when parents or guardians are not expecting their children to be in or around water. With that in mind, Duncan says physical barriers such as self-latching gates, fences and even alarms play a crucial role in drowning prevention.
Structured swim lessons are another key part of drowning prevention, Duncan says. While the courses are fun and exciting for children, they are ultimately teaching a lifesaving skill.
“Here in South Florida, we have warm weather all year round. So the probability of us being able to use that pool or go to the beach in, let’s say, November still exists, right? So we want to make sure that we are encouraging parents to make those swim lesson refreshers throughout the year so that it’s not just a summer thing. Because unfortunately, drowning here is not just a summer problem.”
She also suggests that parents or guardians participate in swimming lessons.
“Unfortunately, a parent that doesn’t know how to swim is a parent that may not expose children to the water. By not exposing them, unfortunately, here in South Florida, we run a huge risk,” she said.
Life jackets provide another layer of protection. Duncan says children should wear U.S. Coast Guard-certified life jackets. While inflatables are fun to play with in the water, she says they are toys, not lifesaving devices.
Duncan says life jackets are especially important when parents may not be able to provide constant supervision.
“If that child perceives that they can float all the time because they're wearing a life jacket, when they're not, they may not be able to tell the difference. So it's really important that when we're doing swim lessons, we're taking off those life jackets, and we are making sure that the child is actually learning to survive in the water and not just depending on those.”
Being prepared to respond if a tragedy does take place is also key, Duncan says. Adults should have CPR training and keep rescue equipment, such as a life ring, a telephone and emergency numbers poolside to respond quickly and improve the outcome of a possible submersion injury, giving the child a better chance of recovering.
“Drowning is preventable. We just need to take the steps,” Duncan said. “Our goal is for us not to be the number one state for drownings. We don't wish it on anybody, but we definitely want to eliminate it.”
For more drowning prevention and pool safety tips, click here.
