ORANGE PARK, Fla. – More than 500 people of all ages die from unintentional drownings each year in Florida.
In 2025, there was a record high of 112 “child drowning deaths,” according to the autism society of Florida.
It has been almost two years since Tarina Akbari lost her 3-year-old son, Rakim.
“This is my bundle of joy,” Akbari said. “He was such a perfect little boy.”
Rakim drowned while on vacation with other family members in Orlando in July 2024.
Deputies say Rakim, who had autism, wandered away from a resort and into a retention pond.
“First, you are shocked, then you are angry,” Akbari said. “You want to blame someone. You are angry. You have grief. I deal with the mother‘s heart first. I looked to see how many children drowned just in retention ponds, and it is overwhelming. I said, ‘Who is doing anything about this?’”
Akbari is trying to do something about it, as she established the Swim for Rakim Foundation. She holds a drowning prevention walk annually and is focused on providing free swim lessons and education to kids and parents.
Dr. Steven Goodfriend, an emergency medicine physician at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, said drownings are not limited to just kids.
There are cases of teenagers and adults who lost their lives that way, whether in retention ponds, pools or at the beach.
“If you have a pool, make sure there is a pool fence,” Goodfriend said. “Some people have that device that if there is a splash, it sets up an alarm. As your kids get older, there is no too young of an age, but make sure that they get swim lessons to make sure they know how to swim. Make sure they know how to swim in difficult situations, especially with going to the beach.”
Akbari pointed out this can be a generational issue.
“Sometimes the parents don’t even know how to swim,” Akbari said. “I want to do classes and give out free swimming gear and educate the kids.”
Akbari does not want another parent to experience the pain she has to endure for the rest of her life.
Florida has the highest unintentional drowning death rate in the United States for children between 1 and 4 years old.
Goodfriend and Akbari also recommend enlisting someone to be a “water watcher” to keep their eyes on children who are in a pool at all times, without being distracted.