Law enforcement in a Florida county is warning of possible child neglect charges for parents who allow their kids to swim in double red flag water conditions.
Officials with Bay County Sheriff's Office are considering harsher actions against parents in the wake of eight adult drownings in the county since June 1. The sheriff's office handled two of the cases, and the Panama City Beach Police Department handled the other six.
"To me, it’s no different than having a fire inside of a house and allowing a kid to go over there who doesn’t know any danger to that fire," Captain Jason Daffin said, according to local outlet WJHG.
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Daffin added, "[It's] letting them go over there and get themselves burned or leaving them home with a fire going and something bad happens. It's the adult's responsibility to protect their children."
In five separate incidents, parents of children who swam during double red flag warnings have been hit with $500 citations. Those incidents did not result in drownings, Bay County Sheriff's Office said.
Authorities in the area are looking into all possible resources and actions that can be taken to curb the trend of civilians entering the water during high-risk hazard levels.
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"Our problem that I found is just the lack of compliance. The blatant disregard to heed the lifeguard’s warning," Panama City Beach Safety Director Daryl Paul said last month, according to local outlet MyPanhandle.
A Florida sheriff expressed his frustrations with beachgoers ignoring warning signs about dangerous waters days before former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died in an apparent drowning near the city of Destin last month.
Deltaplex News in Arkansas first reported his death on June 27.
Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford warned those going to the beach to be careful after the recent spate of drowning deaths, which he said put first responders at risk.
"I’m beyond frustrated at the situation that we have with tragic and unnecessary deaths in the Gulf," Ford wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
He continued, "I have watched while deputies, firefighters and lifeguards have risked their lives to save strangers. I have seen strangers die trying to save their children and loved ones, including two fathers on (Father’s Day)."
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to note that the drownings in Bay County were not children.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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