SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — In just the last month, two children died from drowning in Seminole County. It’s a harsh reminder for the Martin family, whose 2-year-old son, Gunner, died from drowning in 2016. Over the span of a decade, the family is turning tragedy into action.
“It happens to normal people, it happens when you don’t think it does, it happens in the easiest moments,” said Christina York, the executive director for the Gunner Martin Foundation.
During a family movie night at home, Chris and Christina Martin were jolted back to reality when they couldn’t find Gunner.
“He was at the bottom of the pool. He wasn’t floating,” Chris Martin said. “He was at the bottom.”
The Martins said Gunner crawled out of bed during a nap, opened the back door and wandered into the pool.
“It was almost like I’m ready to wake up now,” Chris Martin said. “I’m ready to not be doing CPR on my child right now. I’m ready to not be doing this. I’m ready to be out of this nightmare.”
It’s a nightmare that the family says they will never truly wake from. Out of the hurt and pain of losing their child came a mission to prevent this from happening to another family.
Chris Martin became a Seminole County firefighter. Together, he and his wife started the Gunner Martin Foundation to provide awareness and education surrounding water safety.
“We want your kid to live,” he said. “We don’t want you to live with what we live with. It’s not fun. Every holiday, everything we do, there’s always something missing. We don’t want families to have to go through that.”
According to law enforcement, six children drowned in Seminole County this year, one in Brevard County, and four in Lake County. There have been none in Orange or Marion counties so far this year.
In 2024, Orange County reported eight drownings and Marion County reported two. Channel 9 reported three drowning deaths in Volusia County.
That’s why the Martins and swim experts at Baby Otter Swim School urge for multiple layers to protecting kids.
“You don’t put your child in a car without a car seat, you don’t put your child on a bike without a helmet, you have to teach your children how to swim,” said Mindy York, the president of Baby Otter Swim School. “We live in a state surrounded by water.”
York said this includes supervision and barriers, like a closed pool fence, plus door alarms.
“We’re a very technology-oriented country,” York said. “Get a door alarm. Open the door so you can hear a beep. When you hear a beep, you know the child is starting to exit the house.”
There is other new technology available for parents. There are watches that can detect small signals, such as joint movement and pulse, that will send a notification if it detects no motion.
Underwater pool cameras can monitor swimmers and, by using artificial intelligence, can identify if they are in distress and raise an alarm. SwimEye is a popular app integrated with underwater cameras to detect and alert lifeguards or parents when a swimmer is at risk.
While those are all good options, York said those aren’t foolproof.
“There are things, it doesn’t matter what they are, if they’re battery-operated, or you have to charge them,” York said. “There are times my watch is out of charge or I went underwater. It’s supposed to be waterproof but it’s not. I’m not saying any product is bad. What I’m saying is don’t rely on technology.
York said what is best is teaching a child a lifesaving skill.
“If you teach your child how to swim, they have a much higher success rate of not drowning than if you don’t,” York said. “Teach your children to swim. Make it a priority.”
For resources regarding swim lessons or accessibility to door alarms you can visit the Gunner Martin Foundation – water safety and drowning prevention or Baby Otter Swim School – Florida swimming school franchise opportunities. You can also call the Seminole County Fire Department.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
