Sun Sentinel: Wasserman Schultz, safety advocates warn of ‘public health crisis’ after multiple child drownings

Broward County, July 9, 2026
“Drowning and related injuries are a significant threat to the safety and health of our children,” Wasserman Schultz said. Swim lessons “are our best tool in this fight,” she said.
By Ruth Abramovitz
 
Following a string of child drowning deaths across South Florida, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz joined with local swim safety advocates on Thursday to issue a timely warning about this “public health crisis.”
 
In just the past three weeks, three children died by drowning in the region, all under age 10. Florida has reached 62 drowning deaths in 2026 so far, according to the Nicklaus Children’s Health System, and may exceed last year’s state record of 120 at this rate.
 
“Drowning and related injuries are a significant threat to the safety and health of our children,” Wasserman Schultz said at the event.
 
Thursday’s panel, gathered at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County in North Lauderdale, addressed the vital layers of water safety precautions recommended to prevent child drownings.
 
Rachele Solomon, injury prevention coordinator for Memorial Healthcare System, recommends that adults implement multiple means of protection for young children, such as creating barriers to the backyard pool with an alarm or gate, designating a “water watcher” to continuously supervise children, equipping kids with life jackets and enrolling them in swim lessons.
 
Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 4, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
Solomon warned these deaths occur subtly, as “a parent goes inside to answer the phone” or “a family member forgets to shut the door all the way.”
 
Wasserman Schultz has long made drowning prevention a policy priority. She introduced the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which the U.S. Congress passed in 2007, to regulate suction drains in public pools — a frequent cause of youth drowning — and authorize federal grants for swimming education programs and safety measures.
 
Mentioning the July 5 drowning of a 4-year-old girl in Plantation, the congresswoman called on the Florida Legislature to strengthen the state law requiring residential pools to have at least one approved safety barrier. The South Florida Democrat first introduced that law, enacted in 2000, though she feels some amendments have made it weaker over time.
 
“Saving lives can’t just be considered a nuisance,” she said. “It’s a moral necessity.”
 
Wasserman Schultz also noted that drowning rates are disproportionately higher for Black youths, adding that it’s important to “focus our attention” to the communities with the highest rates of drownings.
 
With lakes, canals and other waterways throughout South Florida, pool safety is not the only issue. Each of the advocates said swimming lessons are the best way to prevent a tragedy. They were framed by dozens of kids, mid-swimming lesson, splashing around in a pool behind them.
 
Swim lessons “are our best tool in this fight,” Wasserman Schultz said.
 
In Broward, she recommends SWIM Central, the county’s water safety program. SWIM Central offers lesson vouchers for children age 8 and younger, according to Katherine Fermenich, operations manager for the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division. Kids are eligible for up to four $55 coupons per year.
 
Among other local leaders in attendance on Thursday was Casey McGovern, who lost her toddler to drowning in 2009. Today, McGovern serves as executive director of Every Child a Swimmer, an organization within the International Swimming Hall of Fame that educates families on water safety. This knowledge, she said, should be “as common as buckling a seatbelt.”
 
“Start lessons as early as you can,” McGovern said. “We had taken safety precautions, and like many parents we believed it would never happen to us. But drowning does not discriminate.”
 
Shana Lorde, president of the swim instruction nonprofit Diversified Swimming Inc., noted that lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88%. She said a child’s drowning means “one less seat at the table,” “one less kiss goodnight.”
 
“We can’t do this alone,” Lorde said. “It takes a community, it takes a village to do this.”
 
Toddler drowns in Plantation lake; 4th child drowning death in 3 weeks in South Florida
By Angie DiMichele
 
A 2-year-old boy drowned in a lake in Plantation on Thursday afternoon, the fourth child to die in a drowning in South Florida in less than a month.
 
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., officers were called to the 1600 block of Northwest 108th Avenue after someone reported that the 2-year-old boy had disappeared, the police department said in a news release Thursday night.
 
As officers were on the way, a relative found the boy unresponsive in a lake behind an apartment building in the area, pulled him from the water and immediately started CPR.
 
The boy was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale after officers and Plantation Fire Rescue arrived. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, the police department said.
 
The boy’s death on Thursday comes four days after a 4-year-old girl drowned, also in a lake in her Plantation neighborhood, and the same day U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and local swim safety advocates hosted a news conference to warn the public about the ‘public health crisis’ after the recent child drowning deaths.
 
Mentioning the July 5 drowning of the 4-year-old in Plantation, the congresswoman called on the Florida Legislature to strengthen the state law requiring residential pools to have at least one approved safety barrier. The South Florida Democrat first introduced that law, enacted in 2000, though she said she feels some amendments have made it weaker over time.
 
On June 22, an 8-year-old boy drowned in Boynton Beach after he disappeared from his family home and was found motionless in a backyard swimming pool near his neighborhood, the police department previously said.
 
A 4-year-old boy drowned in a backyard swimming pool in North Lauderdale days before that.
 
Children between 1 and 4 die from drowning more than any other cause of death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with Florida routinely ranking among the top in the nation for deaths.
Water safety tips
 
    Sign children up for swim classes. The Florida Department of Health statewide offers a swimming lesson voucher program for eligible families with children less than a year old and up to 17 years old.
    Ensure layers of protection are in place at home pools, including supervision and physical barriers.
    Learn CPR. Different age groups require different techniques. Classes are offered in Broward County through several local cities and fire departments, Broward Health, American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. Classes are offered in Palm Beach County through Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, American Red Cross and others.