Daytona Beach considers pond fencing after deaths of 2 young boys
Daytona Beach considers pond fencing after child drownings
Daytona Beach city commissioners are considering requiring fences or other barriers around retention ponds following the drowning deaths of two young boys at an apartment complex.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla - Daytona Beach city commissioners are considering requiring fences or other barriers around retention ponds following the drowning deaths of two young boys at an apartment complex.
Kashh Williams, 3, and Elijah Hawkins, 5, reportedly got past a child lock on their mother's apartment door and wandered away more than a week before the commission's discussion. The boys later drowned in a retention pond at the complex.
"It's terrible for the family to lose a small child like that," Daytona Beach Commissioner Ken Strickland said.
Proposed barriers around retention ponds
Local perspective:
Commissioners are scheduled to discuss whether to change city regulations to require fences or other barriers, including landscaping, around retention ponds.
The city does not currently require fencing around all retention ponds. Under state rules, fencing is required in certain circumstances when a pond's banks exceed a specified slope.
Strickland said he believes additional protections are necessary, even when pond banks are relatively gentle.
"Even if there's very little slope, small children unsupervised fall in there," Strickland said, adding that the risk makes fencing worthwhile.
Potential changes to city regulations
The discussion could mark the first step toward new requirements for property owners and developers.
If commissioners support the proposal, they could direct staff to draft an ordinance establishing new safety standards.
Strickland said he would support installing fences even if they were unattractive or costly.
"If we need to put up an ugly fence and pay for it and have to look at it, it's worth that to me personally to save any children," he said.
Investigation continues
What's next:
The investigation into the boys' deaths remains ongoing. No charges had been filed at the time of the report.
Police Chief Jakari Young said investigators had found no signs of foul play so far.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the City of Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Commissioner Ken Strickland, and Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young.