An 8-year-old nonverbal girl with autism wandered from her hotel to Clearwater Beach and ended up stranded on jagged rocks with the tide rising, putting her within reach of being swept into the Gulf of Mexico. Clearwater Police Officer Andrew Billups reached her in time, and on Saturday he was named Officer of the Year at a regional gala for pulling her to safety.
The girl, identified as Lavina, had left her hotel unsupervised before making her way to the beach, according to WFLA. She could not swim, and the outlet reports she was stranded on the rocks as high tide moved in, facing the danger of being swept into open water. Her grandmother, Kathy Petrucelli, said Billups saved Lavina from going farther into danger and told the station he was a hero who deserved the honor.
Petrucelli said Lavina trusted Billups because he was in uniform and spoke to her calmly, per the same report. Billups got her to safety and later said the rescue reflected why he does the job, attributing his response to his training.
A Second Rescue Weeks Later
The May 10, 2025 rescue happened in a coastal construction area behind a hotel near Clearwater Pass, an inlet connecting the Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico that local first responders have long flagged for swift currents, rough water, and prior drownings, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Just weeks after that beach rescue, Billups talked down a woman in mental distress who was sitting on the railing of the Memorial Causeway Bridge, connecting her with support services, the station reported. Billups was 26 years old at the time of both interventions.
The pair of rescues also earned Billups national attention months before Saturday's ceremony. In April, he was featured in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin's Bulletin Notes section for the dual life-saving actions, according to the bureau's publication highlighting notable officer conduct from departments nationwide.
Foundation Opens Its Gala to the Public for the First Time
Billups received his award at the Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police Foundation's 11th annual gala, held Saturday at the Opal Sol Resort on Clearwater Beach. It marked the first time in the foundation's history that the awards ceremony was open to the public, according to The Laker/Lutz News. The foundation represents law enforcement agencies across seven Tampa Bay area counties.
Other regional honorees were recognized at the same ceremony. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Strategic Gun Intelligence Unit won Task Force of the Year, a unit Hoodline previously covered following a Plant City drug bust. FDLE Special Agent Aby George was named Agent of the Year for dismantling an international cybercrime network, a case Hoodline also reported on in its coverage of a Tampa Bay CSAM case.
Why Autistic Children Gravitate Toward Water
Lavina's case fits a pattern well documented in autism research. CDC-backed research published in Pediatrics found that 49% of children with autism attempt to wander or elope from safe environments after age 4, with accidental drowning accounting for 71% to 90% of resulting deaths, according to the CDC. More than a third of autistic children who wander are non-verbal or unable to communicate basic personal details, which raises the stakes when officers are searching near open water.
A study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that children with autism spectrum disorder are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than neurotypical peers, according to the National Autism Association. Drowning is recognized as the single leading cause of death following autism-related wandering, the group notes, which helps explain why Clearwater officers treated the initial report with urgency.
Federal officials moved to address the risk this month. In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and FEMA launched the National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative to improve emergency response coordination when autistic individuals go missing, according to HHS. The initiative draws on FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. Whether Clearwater or Pinellas County plan to adopt autism-specific water safety training or alert systems in light of the new federal guidance remains an open question.
A Statewide Drowning Problem
Lavina's rescue also lands within a broader statewide drowning crisis. Florida recorded more than 500 unintentional drowning deaths in 2023, and unintentional drowning remains the leading cause of death statewide for children ages 1 to 4, Hoodline has reported in its coverage of a fatal Fort De Soto Park wave incident. Florida ranks fifth highest nationwide in unintentional drowning mortality.
Clearwater police officers involved in water rescues are frequently recognized with department Lifesaving Awards, while civic groups such as the Rotary Club of Clearwater present an annual, department-wide Officer of the Year honor for exceptional service. Past departmental awardees have included officers who rescued swimmers in distress and responded to violent school threats. For Petrucelli, the recognition given to Billups on Saturday came down to a simpler fact: he was there when her granddaughter needed him most.
