Following a string of child drownings in the area, law enforcement in a Florida county has warned parents to keep an eye on their children when they are close to the coast or face child negligence charges.
Following the deaths of five children in the Gulf of Mexico when “double red flag” hazard warnings were in effect, officials with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office are considering taking stronger measures against parents.
“To me, it’s no different than having a fire inside of a house and allowing a kid to go over there who doesn’t know any danger to that fire,” Captain Jason Daffin said, according to local outlet WJHG.
Daffin added, “[It’s] letting them go over there and get themselves burned or leaving them home with a fire going and something bad happens. It’s the adult’s responsibility to protect their children.”
The parents of the youngsters were issued $500 citations in each of the five cases.
Authorities in the region are investigating all available options and possible courses of action to stop the trend of people accessing the water during high-risk hazard levels.
When parents allow their kids to be near bodies of water, this could result in charges of child neglect being brought against them.
“Our problem that I found is just the lack of compliance. The blatant disregard to heed the lifeguard’s warning,” Panama City Beach Safety Director Daryl Paul said last month, according to local outlet MyPanhandle.
Days before former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died in an apparent drowning close to the city of Destin last month, a Florida sheriff expressed his displeasure with beachgoers who disregarded advisories about choppy waters.
His passing was initially reported on June 27 by Arkansas’ Deltaplex News.
Sheriff Tommy Ford of Bay County issued a warning to beachgoers after a recent string of drowning deaths that he claimed put first responders in danger.
“I’m beyond frustrated at the situation that we have with tragic and unnecessary deaths in the Gulf,” Ford wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
He continued, “I have watched while deputies, firefighters and lifeguards have risked their lives to save strangers. I have seen strangers die trying to save their children and loved ones, including two fathers on (Father’s Day).”
