{"id":5369,"date":"2026-07-06T10:36:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T10:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=5369"},"modified":"2026-07-06T10:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T10:36:34","slug":"pasco-county-community-gathers-at-sunwest-park-memorial-after-3-year-old-drowns-during-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=5369","title":{"rendered":"Pasco County community gathers at SunWest Park memorial after 3-year-old drowns during festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

HUDSON, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>A day after a holiday celebration turned tragic, visitors returned to Pasco County’s SunWest Park to remember a 3-year-old boy who died after drowning during the park’s Scallop and Music Festival.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more Missing woman found dead inside SUV at McDonald\u2019s near Tampa: HCSO<\/a><\/p>

Pasco County festival drowning<\/h2>

What we know:<\/p>

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said the child was reported missing around 5:30 p.m. Saturday after wandering away from his family during the festival at SunWest Park.<\/p>

<\/div>

Witnesses said panic spread throughout the beach as deputies and bystanders searched for the boy. He was eventually found in the water and pulled ashore, where CPR was performed before he was flown to a nearby hospital. Investigators said he later died.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

People who witnessed the tragedy described the scene as heartbreaking and said the mother’s cries left a lasting impact.<\/p>

On Sunday, community members organized an informal memorial at the beach, leaving flowers, candles, stuffed animals and toy cars near a blue\u00a0bucket they believed belonged to the child.<\/p>

Read more CDC reports early, strong start to West Nile virus season<\/a><\/p>

Community beachside memorial<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“We just want to show our respect. We’re going to put some flowers on the beach, play some songs and, you know, if anybody wants to speak, they can,” Pamela Brown said.<\/p>

Brown, who previously worked as an emergency medical technician, said losing a child is especially devastating.<\/p>

Brown\u2019s daughter, Tracey Bayne, urged people to show compassion.<\/p>

“Kids in general, they’re easy to sneak off. It can happen to anybody. So, people need to remember that. Before blame is placed, your child can sneak off, that’s what children do,” Bayne said.<\/p>

Child drowning investigation<\/h2>

What’s next:<\/p>

PSO said the investigation remains ongoing.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

Beach safety review<\/h2>

What we don’t know:<\/p>

FOX 13 also reached out to Pasco County to ask whether lifeguards were on duty when the drowning occurred but had not received a response as of Sunday evening.<\/p>

Read more Plane hit by firework at Chicago\u2019s Midway Airport, airline says<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A day after a holiday celebration turned tragic, visitors returned to Pasco County’s SunWest Park to remember a 3-year-old boy who died after drowning during the park’s Scallop and Music Festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[155],"class_list":["post-5369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pasco-county","tag-pasco-county"],"yoast_head":"\nPasco County community gathers at SunWest Park memorial after 3-year-old drowns during festival - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=5369\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pasco County community gathers at SunWest Park memorial after 3-year-old drowns during festival - 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