A child was rushed to the hospital Saturday after being pulled from a swimming pool at a home near the 17000 block of Northwest 16th Street in Pembroke Pines. Fire rescue crews found the child out of the water, responsive and breathing, after what officials described as a very brief period underwater.
Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue said the child was not drowning by the time crews arrived on scene, though the child had nearly drowned before being pulled from the pool, according to WPLG Local 10. Medics transported the child to Memorial Hospital Miramar for further evaluation. As of Saturday afternoon, no additional information was immediately available about the child's age, gender or condition, the station reported.
A Hospital Built for Pediatric Emergencies
Memorial Hospital Miramar's pediatric emergency room operates in partnership with Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital and holds Florida's first Certified Autism Center designation, according to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital at Memorial Hospital Miramar. The pediatric ER features low-sensory treatment rooms and staff specifically trained in pediatric emergency medicine and sensory conditions, a detail that matters given how often young children with sensory or developmental needs end up in water emergencies.
The Pembroke Pines call adds to what has become a grim pattern across Broward County this summer. In July alone, the region saw two fatal drownings in Plantation within a single week, along with nonfatal submersions in North Lauderdale and Lauderhill, according to CBS News. Local aquatics directors and law enforcement have described an alarming surge in residential pool and natural water calls throughout the county this year.
Florida's Drowning Numbers Keep Climbing
The scale of the crisis extends well beyond Broward. Florida recorded a record 119 fatal child drownings in 2025, with nearly 80% of victims under age 3, and drowning remains the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4 in the state, per the Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida consistently leads the nation in total child drowning deaths each year.
By late July, state health officials had already recorded at least 74 to 76 child drowning deaths statewide for 2026, putting Florida on pace for another potentially record-setting year, according to WLRN. Central and South Florida counties account for a disproportionate share of those fatalities.
New State Law Targets Prevention Earlier
State lawmakers have responded with legislation aimed at reaching families sooner. Senate Bill 428 expanded Florida's Swimming Lesson Voucher Program this year, raising the age eligibility limit so children ages 1 through 7 from low-income families can now receive free swim instruction, according to Central Florida Public Media. The program had previously capped eligibility at age 4 when it launched in 2024.
The same law also requires all Florida hospitals, birth centers and home birth providers, as of July 1, to give new parents educational materials on drowning prevention and safe bathing practices during postpartum care, per the Florida Senate. Lawmakers added that requirement specifically to address supervision lapses during routine household activities like bath time.
Locally, Broward County has run its own prevention effort for over two decades. The SWIM Central program and Water SMART Broward initiative distribute $55 discount coupons for swim lessons for children ages 6 months to 8 years, and the program has enrolled more than 700,000 children since 1999, according to Broward County Parks and Recreation.
Autism and Elevated Drowning Risk
Public health data also points to a heightened risk among children with autism, who are roughly 160 times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers. State estimates suggest 25% to 30% of Florida's child drowning victims in 2025 had an autism diagnosis, per the Florida Department of Children and Families, which notes that autistic children are frequently drawn toward water — a pattern that has pushed public health agencies to prioritize sensory-informed aquatic safety programs.
Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, codified under Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes, requires home pools built after October 1, 2000, to include at least one approved barrier, such as a 4-foot outer fence with self-latching gates or an ASTM F2208-certified pool alarm. Noncompliance is classified as a second-degree misdemeanor under the law, which the Florida Senate designed to deny or delay unsupervised child access to backyard pools. It remains unknown whether the Pembroke Pines home's pool met those barrier requirements or how the child gained access to it.
Research cited by local drowning prevention task forces shows formal swimming instruction can reduce drowning risk by up to 88% among children ages 1 to 4. Yet more than 80% of fatal child submersions happen during unsupervised non-swim times, per CBS News, underscoring that most backyard drownings occur when a child slips outside unnoticed during routine chores rather than during planned pool time.
The Pembroke Pines incident follows a string of similar close calls across Broward this summer, including a Lauderhill teen pool rescue and a fatal drowning that left a Plantation 4-year-old dead. The child's exact age, gender and current condition remain unclear as of Saturday afternoon.
