INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Following the tragic drowning of a 1-year-old child in a backyard pool in Indian River County, local medical experts are issuing an urgent warning to parents about a rising, quiet crisis in Florida.
The heartbreak follows freshly released data from the Department of Children and Families, revealing a disturbing year-over-year upward trend in pediatric water fatalities across the state. State records show that while Florida recorded just under 100 child drowning deaths in 2023, that number climbed to 105 in 2024, and jumped significantly to 119 fatalities in 2025.
The data notes that in 2025, nearly 80% of the victims were under the age of 3…