JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville City Council member is pushing for possible new safety requirements around retention ponds after two children with autism were found dead in neighborhood ponds just weeks apart.
The latest death happened Monday morning, when Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers responded to the Waterside Townhomes at River City after a 3-year-old girl with autism was reported missing.
Officers searched the area and found the girl unresponsive in a nearby retention pond. JSO said no foul play is suspected, and investigators are working to determine how she was able to leave the home and the circumstances surrounding her death.
The tragedy came just weeks after 7-year-old Chace Brown, who was nonverbal and had autism, went missing from his Northside home. He was later found dead in a nearby retention pond.
Council Member Reggie Gaffney Jr. said the two deaths have made finding preventative solutions an urgent priority.
“My heart aches for the family. I could just cry out. I could just hug them right now. They weren’t expecting this, Chance. Three weeks ago, his family wasn’t expecting that either.” Gaffney Jr. said. ”Just to get that call, you know it’s tough, it’s tough, but I want to create legislation.”
Gaffney is hosting a public meeting Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Lynwood Roberts Room at City Hall to discuss possible ways to make retention ponds safer. He said he is considering legislation that could require fences or other barriers around ponds.
“Hopefully this will be the last day a kid loses his life in this way. I’m hosting a meeting tomorrow [Tuesday] with developers, HOA presidents, the community, the autistic community; I want to try and come up with a solution and action items. What can we do to prevent this? It happens far too often- two in one month. It’s just gut-wrenching.”
The meeting is expected to bring together city leaders, developers, HOA representatives, safety experts, autism advocates, families and community members.
One of the biggest questions surrounding any new requirements is who would be responsible for installing and maintaining safety barriers.
The mayor’s office said both retention ponds involved in the recent deaths were on privately owned property.
The city says it uses a vegetative buffer around ponds on city-owned property to discourage children from entering the water. But when ponds are privately owned, the property owner is responsible for providing those barriers.
That raises questions about whether Jacksonville could require fencing or other safety measures around existing privately owned ponds, who would pay for those improvements and how any new requirements would be enforced.
Child drowning deaths in Duval County
The two recent retention pond deaths are among five child drowning deaths reported in Duval County since the start of the year, according to Florida Department of Children and Families data.
The other cases include a 1-year-old found in a neighbor’s pool in June, a 5-year-old who drowned in April and a 5-year-old found in a swimming pool in March while playing with an older sibling.
Statewide, DCF data show 90 child drowning deaths.
JSO is reminding families to take steps to limit children’s access to water, including using fencing, locks, door and window alarms and other barriers.
Police also recommend that families know what bodies of water are near their homes, including retention ponds, pools, lakes and rivers.
If a child goes missing, JSO urges families to call 911 immediately and check nearby water.
Swimming lessons, including programs designed for children with disabilities, can also provide another layer of protection.
For children who may wander or elope, safety experts recommend using multiple layers of protection rather than relying on a single precaution.
Gaffney’s meeting Tuesday is intended to examine what those protections could look like and what Jacksonville can realistically require to prevent another child from reaching dangerous water.
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