The agency’s newest report found Black children made up 21 percent of the drownings where a child’s race was listed.

The metal tanks, which historians said were also used for baptisms, were some of the few options for Black Americans in Jacksonville during segregation.

When Black and white swimmers jumped in together and integrated the Monson Motor Lodge in St. Augustine, owner James Brock was so enraged he grabbed a bottle of acid and threw it into the pool. The fallout from that act is still being felt today.

News4JAX is digging deeper into racial disparities when it comes to swimming, starting with the stories of news reporter Hope Bartlett and 5-year-old Kareem Green.

News4JAX is digging deeper into racial disparities when it comes to swimming, starting with the stories of news reporter Hope Bartlett and 5-year-old Kareem Green.