A grieving family is calling for accountability after their 4-year-old daughter drowned in a swimming pool at a Florida Airbnb property, raising concerns about safety measures at short-term rental homes.
According to reports, young Kennedi Ray died on March 5 while staying with her family at a rental home in northeast Miami-Dade County. Authorities say the child was found unresponsive at the bottom of the pool during the morning hours while other family members were asleep.
Kennedi’s mother, Adenah Francis, described the devastating loss, saying her daughter “only got four years here” and expressing the deep pain the family continues to endure.
Allegations of Missing Safety Measures
The family and their attorney allege that the property lacked critical pool safety features required under Florida law. These protections can include barriers, fences, alarms, and self-closing gates designed to prevent unsupervised access to pools.
According to the family’s legal team, the child was able to access the backyard pool area without any warning systems in place. “No alarm went off, no barriers were there,” the attorney said, arguing that the home should not have been marketed as “family-friendly.”
The family is now pushing for stricter enforcement of Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act and greater oversight of short-term rental listings to ensure proper safeguards are in place.
Lawsuit Planned Against Airbnb
The family plans to file a lawsuit against Airbnb and other responsible parties, alleging negligence and failure to ensure guest safety.
In a statement, Airbnb expressed condolences, calling the incident “a tragedy” and noting that the company has supported efforts to strengthen pool safety regulations and promote awareness among hosts and guests.
A Broader Safety Concern
Drowning remains a leading cause of accidental death among young children, particularly those between the ages of 1 and 4.
Kennedi’s family says they hope their loss will bring attention to the importance of enforcing safety standards and preventing similar tragedies in the future.
“We don’t want any other family to go through this pain,” her mother said.
