A family vacation in Davenport turned devastating on Monday afternoon when a 5-year-old boy was pulled from a rental home pool and later died at a nearby hospital, according to local authorities.
Deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office were called just after 1 p.m. to a vacation rental off Takeaway Way, where the child was found unresponsive in the pool. Deputies began life-saving measures at the scene before the boy was taken to Celebration Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, WESH reported.
The sheriff’s office said the child, who was visiting the area with extended family, was from Brevard County.
Investigators Examine the Scene
Osceola County homicide detectives are now combing through the property as part of an active investigation. That level of scrutiny has become standard in similar cases involving vacation-rental pool deaths in the county, with homicide units documenting conditions and circumstances while the medical examiner determines cause of death.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted a comparable investigative response after a June drowning near Kissimmee that also involved young children at a Florida rental home.
Pool Safety and a Troubling Local Trend
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 1 to 4, according to the CDC, and Florida has recorded an alarming number of child drownings in recent years.
A Florida House analysis, citing data from the Department of Children and Families, counted 119 child drowning deaths in 2025, a figure lawmakers cited while weighing tougher safety rules for pools at vacation rentals.
What Renters and Hosts Should Know
Public health guidance consistently emphasizes a few basics around backyard and rental pools: close, active adult supervision, secure barriers that limit unsupervised access and working alarms that alert caregivers if someone enters the water or pool area.
Florida’s Department of Children and Families offers a “Water Watcher” checklist and lanyard designed to help families and hosts maintain continuous, designated supervision near water. The agency also urges property owners to confirm that pool alarms and required barriers are in place and functioning properly before guests arrive, according to Florida DCF.
Investigators say their probe into Monday’s death is ongoing and have not released details about how the boy ended up in the water. No criminal charges have been announced. Authorities ask anyone with information to contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. For earlier coverage of the incident, see WESH.
