Pinellas County first responders push for water safety after rise in child drownings

Emphasizing child water safety in Pinellas County

First responders and health professionals from St. Petersburg and Pinellas County speak out to help prevent child drownings. FOX 13's Kylie Jones brings us the story. 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pinellas County first responders say there were more than two dozen pediatric water submersions in 2025. During National Water Safety Month, they want to raise awareness with families about drowning prevention. 

By the numbers:

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue says there were 25 pediatric water submersions last year. Three of those drownings were deadly.

Although many children survive, doctors say some suffer life-altering injuries. Dr. Meghan Martin, a pediatric emergency medicine physician with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, says she has seen hundreds of pediatric drowning cases in her 10 years with the hospital.

During the summer, Martin says it feels like they have a new case each day because they receive children from Pinellas County and surrounding areas.

"Some of these kids, they come in, they have a little bit of difficulty breathing," Martin said. "We give them some respiratory support, and they're going to be fine, but we obviously have kids every year that don't make it. And of the kids that do make it, a lot of these will never be the same. They'll never walk, they'll never talk, they never eat on their own."

Why you should care:

First responders say it only takes seconds for a child to start drowning. It can happen while you are looking at your phone or walking away for a moment.

Martin says CPR is crucial and one of several life-saving drowning prevention measures. But it is not the only measure she encourages families to use.

"We need to give kids swim lessons, teach them water safety," Martin said. "We need to have pool fences, locks on doors, alarms on doors."

Local perspective:

Shakilya Lewis thought she was taking all the steps to make sure her son, BJ, was safe in the water. At 3 years old, he was already in swim lessons, and she always made sure doors were locked and that he was supervised in the water.

But BJ was with other family members at their home one day, and he got into the pool unsupervised.

"He was jumping in and out of the water, jumping, throwing toys in the water, pulling them out, and that last time, he couldn't get back to the wall," Lewis said.

BJ was in the water for about four to seven minutes before his uncle pulled him out and started doing CPR until an ambulance rushed him to the hospital.

"They gave him a 3% chance of making it through the night," Lewis said. "So, Brandon does have an anoxic brain injury."

At 7 years old, BJ is now in a wheelchair and needs around-the-clock care.

"Now, he is nonverbal, and now he's G-tube fed," Lewis said. "Now, he can't even hold his own head up by himself."

Lewis hopes her family's story serves as a message for other families.

What you can do:

You can find information about swim lessons supported through Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.

You can also find information about swim lessons through St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation.