Toddler dies in Pembroke Pines lake, cops say. Child drownings on rise in Florida
A toddler is dead after drowning in a Pembroke Pines residential community, according to authorities.
Officers found the 1-year-old boy unresponsive the afternoon of Nov. 30 near SW 118th Avenue and SW Seventh Street, the Pembroke Pines Police Department confirmed Dec. 1.
He was at a home with multiple family members when he was “briefly left unsupervised” before walking over to the lake at the center of Egret Walk, a community of single-family homes, PPPD spokesperson Amanda Conwell told the Pembroke Pines News.
“CPR was attempted unsuccessfully,” police said, adding the child was rushed to Memorial Hospital West after being discovered at around 3:20 p.m.
Child drownings are the chief cause of unintentional death for those ages 1 to 4 in Florida, with the state leading the nation in most fatal incidents yearly, according to the Department of Children and Families.
Roughly 110 child deaths have been recorded in 2025 in Florida, surpassing last year’s 106 fatalities, the Orlando Sentinel reported on Nov. 28.
To counter the grim statistic, DCF offers free swim lessons for eligible families through its Water Smart FL voucher program.
Kate Kaplan, one of the program’s Broward swim instructors, adds that the benefits of these classes can help kids in several different ways.
“If you’re ever in a situation where you might need those swimming skills to bring yourself to the nearest wall or bring yourself to the nearest shore, those skills come in handy both as survival skills but also as skills that allow you to have fun in the water,” she said in a water safety video posted to City of Pembroke Pines’ social media accounts in March 2024.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
