PANHANDLE, Fla. (WMBB) – Panama City Beach in Florida is now the deadliest in the U.S. so far in 2023 after three more deaths this past weekend.
Despite double red flag warnings, which mean no swimming is allowed in the Gulf, heavy rip currents led to the three drownings and dozens of rescues.
National Weather Service statistics show that Panama City has had seven rip current-related deaths in the past nine days, more surf zone fatalities than any other beach in the U.S. in 2023.
Saturday’s victims were two men from Georgia, one 39 and the other 63, and a 68-year-old man from Michigan. Nexstar’s WMBB reports that an additional two beachgoers also died in nearby Walton County, one on Thursday and the other on Saturday. Then on Tuesday, former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett drowned off the shores of Destin, Florida, according to Nexstar’s WKRG.
Since all of the victims were from out-of-state, responders and lifeguards are concerned about tourist adherence to the hazard flag system.
“Our problem that I found is just the lack of compliance. The blatant disregard to heed the lifeguard’s warning,” said Panama City Beach Safety Director Daryl Paul.
South Walton Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Mackenzie McClintock also added that, “It’s not a lifeguard’s fault when Mother Nature takes her course. It’s never going to be their fault. They’re just there to keep people safe.”
When it comes to U.S. states and territories, Florida leads all others by a wide margin in surf-related fatalities with 26 this year, followed by Puerto Rico with 13, according to the NWS. California, Louisiana and Alabama all have three, as of Tuesday. As of publishing time, Mallett’s death had not yet been added to NWS statistics.
In Panama City Beach alone, Saturday saw 39 rescues, along with 3 deaths occurring in a 5-hour span. Paul says they still don’t have the full total of rescues conducted over the weekend, attributing the delay to the large influx of assistance his department required.
“We’re still tallying up the numbers and going through all of our reports,” affirmed Paul. “Making sure we get accurate, honest data that we can pump out to the city.”
McClintock noted that a large number of rescues were due to bystanders entering the water to assist people already caught in the water, thus getting caught themselves and turning the rescue from single-person to multi-person.
“The major concern that we have is not necessarily with our first responders entering the water because they know how, but it’s the, so to speak, domino effect of when bystanders go into the water to attempt to rescue because they may not be swimming near lifeguard towers,” McClintock said.
However, SWFD Beach Safety Director David Vaughan commended his team for their efforts this weekend.
“These last 11 days have been quite a test,” Vaughan said. “They’re worn out. They’re frustrated but we’re very proud of them.”
Officials conceded that the frustration visitors feel when kept out of the water, a premier attraction in the region, is understandable, but stressed that the value of human life far outweighs any monetary expense.
“You want to get in that water and you get frustrated when you hear a lifeguard saying no, don’t get in the water, you got to stay on shore. I understand that,” conceded Paul, “but what we’re trying to prevent is that one empty car seat on that ride home.”
Violators of the flag system are subject to a $500 fine. If paid within 20 days, these fines can be reduced to only $250.
