Recent Tragedies in Central Florida

Deb's Digest Blog

It has indeed been a very tragic and sad week in Central Florida. First, I, and the entire AllEars team send love, strength, prayers and support to everyone affected by the recent events.

This is not meant to be an exact accounting of everything that has happened. It is meant to alert our readers to three tragic events that happened in Central Florida.

You may know that on Friday night, June 10, a man shot and killed “The Voice” singer Christina Grimmie while she signed autographs after her concert. Horrible, senseless violence. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and fans.

Then, there were the horrendous mass killings at the Pulse nightclub in the early morning of Sunday, June 12. This is a tragedy beyond belief and I still don’t have coherent words. To bring it even closer to our “home,” the news has reported that the gunman scoped out parts of Walt Disney World, including Disney Springs. (For an official accounting of what transpired, read the national and Central Florida news websites, which have documented everything.)

As if that wasn’t enough, on Tuesday night, June 14, a toddler was suddenly attacked and killed by an alligator on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort. (You can read an official accounting of exactly what happened on the national and Central Florida news websites.) It appears that the family was on the beach watching the nightly Movie Under the Stars. According to reports, they were at the water’s edge and the 2-year-old was ankle-deep playing in the water. An alligator jumped out of the water and grabbed the boy, dragging him under the water and carrying him away. Hours of search and rescue efforts, followed by search and recovery, ensued. The boy’s body was recovered the next day. I can’t even imagine what the family has been and will go through. All of us at AllEars.net send love, strength, prayers and support to the family.

Walt Disney World spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler gave a brief statement early Wednesday, saying, “Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident.” She said Disney was doing everything possible to help the family and law enforcement. Disney is working closely with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Department. She added that the company also was conducting a “swift and thorough review of all of our processes and protocols.”

All Disney resort beaches were closed and personal watercraft use has been suspended. The Walt Disney Company has said it will add alligator warnings to signs.

Update: Here is a photo of the new signs Disney will be posting :

disney-alligator-sign.jpg

There has been much discussion online as to whether Disney signage should have been more specific than it was, simply stating “No Swimming”. People who live in Florida are very aware of the presence of alligators. They were here long before us. They are able to move from body of water to body of water over land. Someone told me long ago if you are in Florida and there is a body of water, there is a good chance it has a gator. I have watched one cross the street where I live. I know not to go near the water’s edge at night. Even during the day, out walking in my community, I am very alert to my surroundings, as we have lots of lakes and ponds.

At the same time, I understand the family from Nebraska probably had no idea about the danger of alligators in Florida.

I have started writing a new page for AllEars talking about the wildlife in Central Florida — in addition to alligators, we have venomous snakes — in the hope that folks will become a bit more aware of potential dangers, even when under the magical spell of Disney.

Be kind to the cast members and residents of Central Florida this week. Be kind to each other. Nothing could have prepared anyone for the tragedies we’ve suffered in these last several days.

Deb

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35 Replies to “Recent Tragedies in Central Florida”

  1. Did you ever create the page about Wildlife in Central Florida? I would really like to educate myself on the dangers of animals in Florida, especially snakes, before my next trip.
    Thank you!

    DEB: Not yet, it is on the list

  2. I whole heartedly agree with the early poster here that mentioned the “Disney Bubble”. I knew there were alligators and other natural hazards in Florida, but, I never realized until this incident that I was lulled by the Disney magic and fell into this “Bubble”. I suppose I assumed Disney would warn me if there was a hazard present instead of letting my paternal instincts survey every situation for potential harm. I certainly cannot blame the parents for anything that transpired and can only imagine the pain they are feeling.
    We have a family portrait hanging in our home of our family on the very beach that this tragedy happened on taken when my youngest son was 2 years old. I now feel so much sadness for that family when I look at the picture of us and imagine “What if that had been us”.
    For my family, Disney has been a place to escape reality during more than a few rough times. We visited Disney for an escape from reality after losing my father to cancer. This may sound stupid, but I don’t know where I would escape to if the tragedy had happened AT Disney. The only good thought I can have about this tragedy is that I can’t think of a better place for a child to have experienced his last days on earth. I pray the family can hang on to the good memories leading up to this event and not dwell on the horrific moments they must have witnessed that night.

  3. I don’t think that’s it’s helpful to lay the blame on anyone – this family have lost a little boy and nothing is going to bring him back. I am from the UK and am aware of alligators in Florida and know not to enter any water where you can’t see the bottom. However, I am slightly older than 2 years old!! Also there is the WDW “bubble” which may lull us into a false sense of security – it is tragic for this poor family – we just need to remember that although WDW is the happiest place on earth that tragedies, accidents and worse are not completely protected by the “bubble” and we all need to be vigilant. So whatever we think about how this tragedy could have been avoided surely everyone must feel for this poor family.

  4. I was told by a CM that there was no swimming in the Seven Seas Lagoon for two reasons. (1) Boats criss-cross the lagoon with great frequency. Even if you are a strong (or Olympic!) swimmer, you will never move as fast as the slowest boats – the dangers swimmers in a lagoon with boats face is large. So, no swimming – better safe than sorry. (2) Health and Safety. Boats discharge fuel into the water. It may not be gallons per boat – indeed, it may be no more than a teaspoonful, but who wants to swim with gasoline/diesel in the water? Also, the water isn’t ‘moving’ so there could also be a build-up of bacteria from people. Not everyone gets out of the water when they need to use the bathroom!

  5. Well stated Deb from Allears. Alligators and other wildlife are present all over Florida. This was a tragic accident, and so very sad for All of Disney, and the sweet little boy’s family.I am sure Disney will take all precautions so that doesn’t happen to any other families! May God Bless Florida and all the families involved in these two terrible happenings.Prayers to sll involved! Looking forward to our visit in October.

  6. To those of you who are “making fun” of the lack of signage and calling writers “babies”, Do you realize how insensitive and downright cruel you sound? You then go on to say how you feel for the family . . . really?

  7. I’m a disney fan and I live 1 hour away from wdw. I am HORRIFIED at what happened. I just have one question that begs answering : why DO they have those faux sandy beaches at their multimillion dollar resorts if no one should ever be entering that disgusting water? Be it attack from pollutuon, amoebas, gators or snakes. Why have a beach put in next to unswimmiable water. Completely ridiculous, IMO. The disney official response also turned my stomach.

  8. Sure, everyone knows there are alligators in Florida, even a Connecticut Yankee like myself. However, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that you don’t have to worry about alligators from MAN MADE lagoon at the most expensive hotel of the flagship property of the most successful entertainment company in the world. Call me crazy… In my mind, this isn’t even a question about whether the sign was specific enough, but why are they directing guests onto these useless beaches with movies, hammocks and lounge chairs? If you can’t touch the water, it’s not a beach, it’s a desert. There’s so much more to do there. If it’s that big of a danger zone, they should plow the sand into the water and think of other ways to make it look like the Keys.

    Does anyone know when the no swimming rule originally went into effect and why? I saw that they used to have a wave machine in the lagoon.

  9. My husband, myself, and our 3 children started coming to WDW in 1979. We always loved staying in Fort Wilderness, and still do. Back then you were allowed to swim off all the beaches. We always knew there was a potential for alligators, but we did it anyway. The no swimming signs were put up, not because of alligators or snakes, but because of high bacteria levels in the water. I always wondered why there were no signs, especially along the water ways and through out Fort Wilderness. My heart goes out to that poor little boy and his family.

  10. I can say that not only was my family NEVER warned about alligators at Disney, a castmember SPECIFICALLY told me that there were nets which kept the “wildlife” from coming up on the Seven Seas Lagoon beaches.

    Additionally my kids and I stood at the water’s edge with castmembers during the movie under the stars, roasting marshmallows fire pit, and fireworks viewing.

    THE CASTMEMBERS THEMSELVES are not universally educated about alligators at Disney. Don’t lie to yourselves and think they are. Having heard a very specific story about underwater nets which turned out to be completely false? Don’t bet that Disney has a handle on this.

  11. This was a terrible tragedy. I cannot imagine what the father is going through after trying to save his son from being eaten alive. Shame to anyone writing above that posted sarcastic comments such as “Oh well maybe disney should put signs up to watch for spiders and let’s not forget hurricanes. I guess the days of personal responsibility is no more. I am going to WDW in July and can’t wait. Stay home if that makes you feel safe but I can’t wait taking my YOUNG grandchildren along.”.
    You should be embarrassed for not being sympathetic to those parents. I too am alarmed by the videos of gators near Tom Sawyer Island and Splash Mountain. Too close for comfort. I would also be concerned by walking back from Epcot and Hollywood Studios to the resorts along the water as who knows if a gator is lurking. Something needs to be done to patrol the waterways and get rid of any gators once they are spotted.

  12. Deb, this is a very eloquent summary of the recent tragic events in Orlando and WDW. Those affected are now and have been in my thoughts and prayers.

    As the mother of a CM I want to thank you for reminding guests that the folks with name tags are people too, ones who are expected to be polite and keep smiling in the face of adversity. They also have been affected by what has gone on in their city, but they continue to put their best Disney face on to help you enjoy your vacation. Once when my son was promoted I asked him what his new responsibilities were and he answered “partially to get yelled at by guests several times a day”. All too often the CMs are the front line of verbal abuse from people whose trip is not going as planned. Please remember that that you are on vacation, they are trying to help you, and we need to be kinder to each other.

  13. Whether there were signs indicating any more than no swimming or not this is a horrible accident. Are there signs on the beach saying there are sharks out there so don’t enter, or do we not realize they are there’s do use caution? It’s called personal responsibility. While we all believe in Disney Magic, we do need to hold some personal responsibilities in life. When you are on vacation in an area where you are unfamiliar, familiarize yourself! Aside from gators, there are snakes and other critters besides the fact that the water in the lagoon looks gross. Sad for the family as this nightmare will live on forever with them. As for signage, nothing written would necessarily have prevented it. We all know humans. As in the comments someone suggested that Disney add signs to not feed the wildlife which is clearly on this new sign! So, we as humans, don’t read or follow the signs any way!! Stop blaming Disney and move on!

  14. I was sitting on my campsite in the Ft Wilderness Campground when my mom called to tell me about the alligator attack. It is impossible to imagine the pain experienced by the family of that beautiful child and I will continue to keep them in my prayers. That being said one of the wonderful aspects of WDW is the fact that it has been built without destroying the natural environment surrounding it. It has been 40 years since WDW opened and this is the first tragic accident of this type. Clearly, the cast members responsible for monitoring the local wildlife have been diligent in their duties. It is unfortunate that so many want to blame Disney for a tragic accident.

  15. Oh well maybe disney should put signs up to watch for spiders and let’s not forget hurricanes. I guess the days of personal responsibility is no more. You guys can be such babies at times. I am going to WDW in July and can’t wait. Stay home if that makes you feel safe but I can’t wait taking my YOUNG grandchildren along.

  16. I’m from Maryland and know about snakes and alligators in Florida. It seems I was always hearing about them. For Disney to stop everything that could be dangerous means stopping many rides and activities. This was a freak accident. There s NO way Disney can keep wildlife out – and people do ignore signs (why do they have to tell people not to use selfie sticks or stand up on rides – cause people dont pay attention even to safety).

    My heart goes out to Disney, the CMs and mostly to the family. I dont think this could have been prevented – are they now going to put up these fences all through the parks and hotels and golf courses and everywhere? prayers to all

  17. I would only suggest an additional warning sign to be posted by Disney. DO NOT feed the any wildlife in the area.

  18. So sad for all that has happened I the last 2 weeks. I live in NY but I know about the gators because my parents lived there a long time. First I luv going to Disney. I do believe they were somewhat lax. There should be someone at the resorts watching the beach area. Also by the number if gators they found just in that area they weren’t as vigilant as they could have been. But I don’t think closing the beaches is the answer. Why stay at those resorts then. There must be some middle ground. This I believe was a tragic accident. Night time, shallow water and splashing. May all the victims in these incidents go with God.

  19. So many tragedies – it makes a person disheartened at times. My thoughts are with everyone affected by them. We were driving home from WDW through the night when the news of the shooting came on the radio, making it feel closer to us somehow.

    As for the gator – we were warned when we checked into POR the weekend before, but I already knew about the danger. It would be impossible for Disney to locate and move all the dangerous wildlife from its property, though. My brother lives in Tampa about a mile from the nearest water and came out last week to find a medium-size gator on his driveway. It’s a fact of life, just like bears in the woods and sharks in the ocean. You just have to be aware that it’s nature all around you, not a virtual world.

  20. Thank you for heartfelt article about recent horror at WDW. Condolences and prayers to the family for strength during this unimaginable time. I am hesitant to return to WDW until major safety features are completed, and do not appreciate Floridians remark that ‘everyone knows about Gators,’ because that is simply not true. Everyone knows they exist, but not to extent that they are as common in Florida as squirrels are in Connecticut.

    1) Will they close ALL beaches including Caribbean Beach?
    2) Will sidewalks that wrap around ALL lakes/ponds at ALL resorts be re-routed?
    3) What about THEME PARK security? The videos of alligators at Splash Mountain and Tom Sawyer Island are very alarming.
    4) Will Port Orleans rename “Alligator Bayou?” I would never want to stay in that section of the resort.
    5) Are there extra safety precautions for nighttime Safari or Kali Rapids at Animal Kingdom when animals prey?

    Let’s stop blaming and fix the issues going forward so this never happens again.

  21. My heart goes out to all the people of Orlando and the family from Nebraska. I really think the tragedy at the Grand Floridian was just a terrible accident. People don’t always read signs! How many signs are there that say don’t feed the animals or birds and people still do all the time. I also think everyone knows about gators in Florida, but I also agree that Disney World should have had more explicit signage warning of the dangers. I’m from Wisconsin and my family and I have been going to Disney World for 21 years and I have never let my children or grand-children go in the water (animals and bacteria). I think people forget that you’re not completely safe even at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.

  22. Deb,
    What a compassionate way you shared all of the sad new, I love your style!
    For me you are the one stop Disney information/news source. I really like the part about knowing and being educated about your surroundings, and it is wonderful of you to add that as a resource!
    Thank you!

  23. There are a lot of angry people posting on this topic.

    I too have no words to describe how sad I am at what happened to that poor little boy.

    I love all things Disney and feel some perspective is needed.

    – The odds of being killed by an Alligator in Florida is 1 in 2500000. ( 1 in 2.5 million)

    – The odds of being struck by lightning is 1 in 700,000.

    – The odds of getting killed by a gun in America are 1 in 30,000.

    – The odds of dying in a car accident are about 1 in 606.

    Please tell me, how many of these warnings should be posted around Disney Properties ?

  24. I believe Disney did what it could to prevent the tragedy, despite many other comments otherwise. It would be impossible for Disney to be able to track, capture, and relocate every single alligator on their property. This is especially true since some of the area owned by Disney is either undeveloped or abandoned (like the old River Country). You never know where those alligators could come from and it only takes one.

    Yes, Disney could have posted a sign warning of the alligators on the beach. Honestly though, the sign would have to be huge in order to warn people against every danger they might encounter- snakes, bees, wasps, fire ants, crabs, mosquitoes, those brain eating amoeba that basically closed down River Country, etc. How appealing would that be to see on the beach on vacation? Not very. Also, just like the parents in the Harambe gorilla incident a little while ago, these parents are responsible for overseeing their children. If it says no swimming, it is to be assumed that no wading is allowed either because there is something dangerous in the water. The parents should have had control of their child and kept him from wading into the water. They should also have educated themselves on the local environment before their trip. To know the local customs and environmental dangers is part of the responsibility of traveling no matter where you go. Disney is no different. I think because it is so magical, people think that nothing bad could ever happen there. While a true complement to how great Disney is, that is certainly not the case as these rare incidents prove. My heart goes out to the family and all involved. I just wanted to point out that everyone must be held accountable for their part of the tragedy.

  25. We must have been the only people warned about gators. On our first visit, the bus drive on MME mentioned that there is a possibility of alligators on the resort POFQ ground or in the water that why there is no swimming in the lakes. When checking in at POFQ, we were again advised about the alligators.

  26. I submitted a comment yesterday and it has yet to appear. Did I do something against your rules?

    AllEars: All comments have to be approved. Please allow 24 hours for that to happen.

  27. I also am from Pennsylvania and I also knew there alligators in Florida – I just never ever expected for Disney to put their guests at danger so therefore never ever thought of them being on Disney property. I full heartedly agree with Carla in that for there to be signs with anything close to danger wordage would not be “so magical” now would it? Disney ABSOLUTELY is responsible for this tragedy. It is ludicrous to have outdoor movies right beside the home of alligators and venemous snakes. I have stood in that exact spot with my grandchildren looking at the ducks. Disney’s disgusting lack of responsibility has changed my plans to vacation there next year. I just don’t know when, if ever, my family will return. Who can go there and not think of anything else? May God bless this family. It could have happened to anyone’s child and grandchild.

  28. very unhappy with recent news that Disney was well aware of the presence of numerous alligators near the guests for years and it took the death of this little boy to finally make them do something, i.e., put up more “extreme” signage and also fences. Absolutely ridiculous behavior on the part of Disney who actively encourages guests to “hang out” at night on the beaches where alligators are lurking yards away. There is nothing Disney can ever do to make it right for that family and it is horrible that for others to finally be safe and aware of the danger that this had to happen.

  29. So many people and family’s devistated …its truely unfair !!! I almost can’t sleep at night thinking about that childs parents witnessing their child being taken by an alligator …its like a horror movie !! I have a lot of family in all parts of FLA and they have told me stories of alligators in their pool and in their neighbors small yard pond , it’s part of nature in the south !! I hope that they collar and tag the next few gators they find at disney . I hope they figure out where they are coming from , where they are nesting , hiding out , eating , if they are close to beaches frequently etc..!! Maybe if they are researched then a viable solution can be reached to either deter them or at least limit them . I have watched fireworks from the Poly’s beach on 2 different occasions and I will do it again , but I will DEFINITLY stand farther away from the water next time !! I will continue to pray for all the victims friends and family’s !!!

  30. I am Mike’s wife and disagree with his assessment. I feel Disney acted on the opinion of Wildlife experts who believed there was little danger from alligators in the lakes on Disney property.

  31. If the signs were posted today they could have been posted yesterday. They were not because Disney did not want a dose of reality to spoil the magic. Disney was aware of alligators in the lakes and the hard choice is always the right choice. The hard choice was to have put those signs up before this horror. I want to forgive Disney but right now I am so disappointed. My deepest sympathy for the family.

  32. I’m from Penna. and I’m always aware of gaters as soon as I arrive in Florida. Every body of water makes me think that there could be a gator in there. But, I think that’s because I love and study wildlife. I guess most people visiting from the North may not think about this natural, inherent danger. So much heartache in such a short time.

  33. Two comments.

    I completely agree with you about being kind to the CMs. They have had one h___ of a week. And they are expected to still be smiling. This especially goes to the CMs at the GF. I stayed there a few years ago and these people could not have treated my family any nicer when we were sent to stay there after an incident at the Poly.

    Secondly, you are right about people from Nebraska not aware of alligators being everywhere. We are from Washington and though I knew of alligators in Florida, I did not think of them being everywhere at WDW. Was surprised to hear someone got pictures of 2 gators at Coronado Springs. We have stayed there and the sidewalk around the water to get to the rooms are not far from the water and at night there are some rather dark areas you walk through.

    p.s. thanks for your go-to info site. First site I go-to

  34. Well written ,well said ,so sorry for all the tragedies that happen.Orlando is a great city and will bounce back

  35. What a terrible week for Orlando and for the whole nation! Regarding the tragedy at the Grand Floridian, there doesn’t really seem to be anything Disney could have done to prevent it. It was just a terrible, terrible accident