LT. GOV. NUÑEZ TALKS WATER SAFETY & VISITS WW II VETERAN IN KEYS

JIM McCARTHY jim@keysweekly.com

Summer in the Florida Keys unofficially began May 26 as students jubilantly scurried out of the classrooms — another school year in the books. On the road, vehicles and RVs filed into the Upper Keys from the 18-Mile Stretch for a Memorial Day Weekend that saw scores of boats packing local sandbars.

At the Founders Park Community Center, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez met with local officials to relay messages of precaution and safety on the water and around pools as part of National Water Safety Month.

Flanked by county commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein and several state officials, Nuñez especially drew attention to a sobering statistic: 96 children in Florida died from drowning last year. Nuñez acknowledged that she felt compelled to hold the event to urge adults to remain alert and avoid distractions, like looking at phones, when children are around pools and bodies of water.

“It just takes a few seconds if you lose focus and concentration. … We’re always connected to our phones,” Nuñez said.

She also emphasized the importance of taking swimming lessons and CPR training, as well as ensuring barriers and gates are installed around pools. Also, check local weather conditions before heading out on the water.

“We can all work together to improve and prevent unnecessary drownings and loss of life,” she said.

Shevaun Harris, secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families, joined Nuñez in the press conference. Harris said parents should have safeguards in place, which include having a “water watcher” if a parent needs to take a phone call or step away from their child. A mother of two, she also urged parents to put their infants through special swim classes.

“When my kids were little, 6 months, I put them in what’s called the infant swim resources classes. It teaches them how to protect themselves from falling in,” Harris said. “Classes like that and others offered through local YMCAs are really critical to invest in, and so many organizations offer free or reduced cost classes.”

Harris recalled a time when she almost drowned at a pool as a young girl during a vacation with her parents.

“My mom wasn’t near me and didn’t see me fall in. I still remember