Children swim at Blue Cypress pool in Jacksonville during a water safety event Wednesday, July 23, 2025. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 23, 2025 at 3:16 pm
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Seventy-three children in Florida have drowned this year, two of them in Duval County and three in Clay County.
Those statistics from the Florida Department of Children and Families are indicators of how dangerous bodies of water can be.
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Jacksonville officials drove that message home Wednesday at the newly reconstructed Blue Cypress Park community pool in Arlington, while encouraging the importance of taking swim lessons.
Mayor Donna Deegan said she wanted everyone to know about the city’s summer swim programs.
“We all know that water can be dangerous if we’re not careful, especially for children, and also for adults and seniors without swimming skills,” Deegan said. “That’s why we’re here today; to say loud and clear that every person in Jacksonville deserves the chance to learn how to swim.”
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Daryl Joseph, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said 200,000 people have visited Jacksonville pools this summer. He said water safety isn’t just for children, but for adults too. This summer, the city launched a Senior Summer Swim Program at Blue Cypress Park Pool.
By his count, Joseph said Jacksonville has given 3,000 swim lessons so far at the city’s 30 pools and hired more than 400 lifeguards and pool professionals.
Champion swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy was on hand at the event to interact with some young swimming enthusiasts. He says swimming is not only an incredible sport, but learning to swim was a big part of his life while growing up in Jacksonville.
“Being able to compete on the Olympic stages has obviously been something that’s been a lifetime dream and goal of mine and it’s something that I’m really proud of, but also being comfortable going to the beach, going to the river and yeah with friends by the water,” Murphy said.
Murphy and his family run a local swim lesson center called Goldfish Swim School in Nocatee. He said swimming is the leading cause of unintended death of children up to 5 years old. Giving a child formalized swim lessons reduces their risk of drowning by nearly 90%, he said.
In addition to swim lessons, Murphy listed what families can do to prevent drownings:
- Install a fence to keep children from wandering into a pool area.
- Put children in a colorful swimsuit so they can be easily seen in the water.
- Designate an adult or lifeguard to watch children in the water.
- Wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
