Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council proclaims May as Drowning Awareness Month; city highlights swim lessons and water-safety outreach
Summary
Council proclaimed Drowning Awareness Month and city staff described recent water-safety events, life-jacket distributions, swim-lesson registration and partnerships to reduce drownings in Pinellas County.
The City Council proclaimed May 2025 as Drowning Awareness Month and presenters emphasized swim lessons, life-jacket giveaways and other prevention efforts targeted at young children.
Council Chair Coakley Gertas (presenting) and Councilmember Brandy Gabbard described local prevention work and personal experiences that framed the item. Gertas cited Pinellas County statistics included in the proclamation: “70% of all submergence occurred at beaches or residential or community pools, and 68% of all submergence were children under 5.” The proclamation also cited 2024 figures from the Florida Department of Health and Department of Children and Families showing Pinellas County had 31 nonfatal submersions and one drowning death in 2024.
City aquatics staff said swim lesson registration opens May 24; parent-child classes begin for infants as young as six months, with preschool lessons for ages 4–5 and formal lessons for ages 6 and older. Staff summarized a recent Water Safety Day at Walter Fuller Pool where the city distributed life jackets (312 donated life jackets noted by Fire Rescue), 179 free swim-lesson vouchers, 120 CPR certification vouchers, and 105 door alarms through partnerships including Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, the Juvenile Welfare Board and Pinellas County EMS. Councilmembers urged expanded outreach and praised Parks & Recreation and Fire Rescue for collaborative programming to reduce drownings.
Direct quote: Council Chair Coakley Gertas said, “It can happen to anybody. It can happen anywhere to anybody.”
