Parents want accountability at rentals after daughter, 4, drowns at Miami-Dade Airbnb
The parents of a 4-year-old girl who drowned earlier this month at an Airbnb in northeast Miami-Dade spoke on Tuesday to demand accountability at rentals to prevent similar incidents.
The family of Kennedi Ray held an emotional press conference at the Airbnb where she drowned to speak about their loss.
“I lost my child,” said Adenah Francis, Ray’s mother. “I lost my 4-year-old. She only got four years here. We loved her so much. We miss her so much. I’m never gonna hear my child laugh again. I just wanna hug.”
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the drowning happened on March 5 at the property in the 20200 block of Northeast 15th Avenue.
Deputies said the child was found at the bottom of the pool. Her parents said she had autism.
Ray’s parents are now demanding the removal of the property from rental listings and will also call for the enforcement of Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act.
The act was created to help prevent child drownings by requiring barriers, fences, and self-closing gates.
The family, who are from Atlanta, Georgia, said they want to see more accountability from rental platforms that list properties as “family friendly” when they don’t have the proper safety protections.
“How on earth can a house be advertised as family-friendly when it has a pool and none of the safety measures necessary, effectively in place,” the family’s attorney said. “No barriers, no fence, doors without alarms. We all know why those laws are in place, and they’re in place to prevent that tragedy that we are here to discuss.”
“I am a mother, and I wouldn’t want anyone to go through this pain,” Flores said.
Their attorney said they expect to file a lawsuit against Airbnb.
Airbnb released the following statement:
“The loss of a child is a tragedy and our hearts go out to the Ray family. Airbnb has supported recent bipartisan efforts in the Florida state legislature to strengthen safety standards for all homes with pools. We also continue to work with partners on education campaigns and initiatives to promote water safety – including discounted pool fences for hosts and in-app safety tips for guests booking stays near water.”
As part of their safety guidelines, Airbnb list the following precautions for homes with pools:
- Install a pool fence
- Install alarms on all windows and doors leading to the pool area
- Install anti-entrapment drain covers and safety release systems
- Provide rescue equipment
