Hi,
I could not find any news articles about this drowning - I want to point this out to my husband. When I visited the area in July, the flags were red or double red almost the entire week (pre-Dennis week). My husband, along with MANY other tourists who should have known better - kept going in the water. I refused to let my husband take our 5 year old son in the water, opting to stay in the pool and on the beach (not the most fun vacation we've ever had - this was the source of many arguments over the course of the week). Even though the flags were red, the resort put out beach chairs for rent, inviting people to enjoy the beach, and I just do not think people realize the danger.
I - being extremely paranoid and used to the Sarasota and Pinellas area beaches and their swimming pool-like conditions - researched the riptide phenomemon extensively before our vacation, and there is no way I would ever take a chance with my child. I wouldn't even let him in the water with a yellow flag - he is just too little and not a strong enough swimmer. Plus, in a panic situation, a child is not going to remember to swim parallel to shore until he/she is released from the current. I do not think the property management companies in the area do an adequate job in educating renters about the flag system - maybe they are afraid of scaring tourists away and losing money. Of course, people need to take personal responsbility and know what they are getting into before they get into the water (this is easy for me to say however because I grew up in Florida). People who did not grow up around the ocean do not realize how grand and powerful it is and how small we are compared to it.
