A state law signed last year complicates Jacksonville's ability to require fences or other barriers around retention ponds, city leaders acknowledged Wednesday after two children with autism drowned in Northside ponds within three weeks.

District 8 Council Member Reggie Gaffney Jr. convened a community meeting Wednesday, Aug. 26, at City Hall's Lynwood Roberts Room, drawing health care professionals, attorneys and residents to discuss safety measures. The meeting produced several proposals but no immediate path to local action.

"The way I put it, we've really got an active neighborhood emergency, and I think we need to do something now," Gaffney said.

Both victims lived in Gaffney's district. Seven-year-old Chace Brown drowned Aug. 5 in a retention pond near his home in the Egret Creek neighborhood. A 3-year-old girl with autism drowned Monday, Aug. 24, at the Waterside Townhomes at River City. Both ponds sit on private property, according to Mayor Donna Deegan's office.

Proposals discussed

Participants focused on lengthening pond slopes to make them less steep, installing warning signs and creating new fencing or barrier requirements, according to Action News Jax.

Attorney Michael Haggard of the Haggard Law Firm compared the situation to existing Florida law requiring fences around commercial pools. He argued state lawmakers could require private property owners, homeowners' associations and apartment complexes to add barriers around retention ponds.

SB 180 stands in the way

City leaders said Senate Bill 180, signed by the governor on June 26, 2025, complicates any local mandate. The law prohibits local governments from adopting more restrictive land development regulations for one year following a hurricane's landfall. Because federal disaster declarations for Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton cover the entire state, the restriction applies statewide, according to a legal analysis by the Bilzin Sumberg law firm.

That barrier pushed the conversation toward Tallahassee. State Rep. Kim Kendall, who attended the meeting, called for a statewide standard for retention pond safety.

Any future state legislation would apply beyond the Northside neighborhoods where the drownings occurred, affecting all Jacksonville communities with retention ponds, including Mandarin.

The scope of the problem

Stacey Hoaglund, president of the Disability Advocacy Support Specialists and former president of the Autism Society of Florida, told attendees that 92 child drowning deaths had been reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families in 2026 so far. That is five more than at the same point last year. Florida recorded 119 child drowning deaths in 2025, described as the state's highest total on record.

Children with autism are up to 160 times more likely to drown than children not on the spectrum, according to state data.

What comes next

The meeting ended without a specific follow-up date. City leaders committed to researching what other municipalities require around retention ponds and said they would reconvene to discuss possible legislation.

No ordinance has been filed.

Mayor Deegan's office said the administration would work with Gaffney to explore policy solutions. The city currently uses vegetative buffers around city-owned ponds maintained by the Public Works Department, but both recent drownings occurred on private land outside the city's direct control.

Residents can contact Gaffney's office through the City Council's District 8 page to weigh in on future proposals.