Key West Injury Lawyer Blog
One moment, a toddler chases a wayward ball on the patio.
The next, they are teetering over the pool’s edge.
It can happen in a matter of seconds and go unnoticed until it is too late.
Drownings are the worst nightmare of every parent and caretaker and, Florida officials said, they have been the cause of death for 12 children in 2026. At least 62 people in all have drowned in Florida as of July 2026.
Tragically, 2025 holds the grim record as being the deadliest year for child drownings with 120 deaths. The Florida Department of Child Welfare reported that nearly 80% of these incidents involved toddlers under the age of 3 years old. Throughout the country, drownings are the leading cause of death for children under 4 years old, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said.
Three children died by drowning in the state in as many weeks, according to reporting from The Sun Sentinel. All three were under 10 years old. The slew of tragic deaths has reignited the urgency surrounding this issue with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz joining local swim safety advocates to call upon the Florida Legislature to strengthen pool safety barrier laws already in place, the newspaper reported.
“Saving lives can’t just be considered a nuisance,” Wasserman Schultz told reporters at a news conference this week at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. “It’s a moral necessity.”
State Law
Currently, Florida law requires that residential pool barriers be at least 4 feet tall and completely enclose the pool. Additionally, they must include self-closing, self-latching gates with latches positioned out of reach for a young child. Local governments may adopt stricter pool safety standards. In Miami-Dade County, where Leesfield & Partners is located, no new residential pool may receive final approval until a safety barrier that meets standards has been installed. The barrier must also fully restrict unsupervised access to the pool.
This Week
Tragically, the family of a 2-year-old boy in Broward County is living out this nightmare after he drowned in a pond on Thursday, July 9. The child’s grandmother reported him missing around 5:30 p.m. and a “dispatcher said it was a 10-to-15-minute time delay from when the call came in to when she called,” according to reporting from CBS News.
He was found by a family member in a pond near their apartment complex and administered CPR before he was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where he died. The investigation into that incident is ongoing.
Leesfield & Partners
The hearts of the attorneys and staff at Leesfield & Partners go out to the families affected by what many state officials are calling a public health crisis. No parent should have to grieve a child, especially when that child’s death was preventable. With a five-decade track record of obtaining record and historic results throughout Florida, Leesfield & Partners has extensive experience handling these types of cases. Our skilled trial attorneys work tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcome on behalf of every client, earning the firm statewide and national recognition. Leesfield & Partners has represented grieving families in child drowning death cases following the negligence at the hands of hotel management companies, resorts, and individuals.
In an ongoing case, Partner Justin B. Shapiro and Eric Shane, a Trial Attorney at the firm, are representing a family whose 2-year-old drowned at a Central Florida pool.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners obtained a historic settlement in a case involving a swimming pool incident at a Hotel Resort Orlando in Osceola County. In that case, our client’s son was swimming when he was caught in the suction of the pool’s drain. The child could not be removed because the hotel failed to have an emergency shut off switch.
For nearly 10 minutes, our client’s child remained underwater. As a result, he was later diagnosed with brain damage that would require life-long medical care. This case, which was handled by Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, is the largest result of its kind in Osceola County.
One family was forever changed when a father and husband lost his wife and two young daughters due to the U.S. Navy’s failure to maintain its pier in a safe condition.
“Ivan Grayson, tormented by the mind-numbing horror of the tragedy that wiped his family from the face of the earth, desperately needs to know why this happened,” U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King said of the case.
Grayson was awarded $2.95 million for the loss of his family.
Previously, the firm secured a seven-figure settlement for a family whose toddler drowned in South Florida. In that case, an inadequately installed child safety fence around the pool was found at the home.
The firm also represented the widow of a man who drowned while on a tour with a Florida boat company. The firm secured a $575,000 settlement in that case.
Safety Tips
Florida draws thousands of tourists each year for its warm weather and year-round recreational water activities. This means that everyone from the elderly to small children will be out on the water in boats or enjoying their time by the swimming pool. With that, it is important to take the necessary precautions to ensure that everyone can swim or is with an adult that can swim in case of an emergency. Preparation and knowledge are key and can help save lives.
Below are several safety tips that parents and other caregivers may find useful. It is important to note, however, that while these tips may be useful this list is not complete and parents should defer to safety organizations and their local first-responders for the most up-to-date information.
- Never leave a child unattended near a body of water.
- Every adult watching over children near the water should know how to swim and take a CPR course to know what to do in case of an emergency.
- Ensure that all exterior doors are fitted with alarms or alerts that will signal to an adult that one has been opened.
- Never leave pool floats, toys or balls inside or near a pool. This is to protect a child in the case that they fall into the pool while trying to reach one of these items.
- Children who cannot swim should always wear life vest and be in the water with an adult.
- All Florida pools should be equipped with child safety fences, pool covers, locks and other safety measures as outlined in state law.
- Children should always be dressed in brightly colored swimsuits so that, if the unthinkable does happen, they are easier for adults to spot in the water in case they need rescue.
- Children and adults should take swimming classes and water safety courses.
