The child was not swimming. He was holding his fathers hand in 6 to 12 inches of water. It was a beach for heavens sake, so why create an illusion of a safe sandy beach if it can’t even be waded in at waters edge? I get the no swimming signs and if they don’t want to scare the kids with alligator signs, how about......”don’t go near the water” which is ridiculous.
In the dark at 9:30 at night - when gators are searching for their next meal.
At around mid-day I came cross a gator at Disney World who when I took one petrified look at him slithered back where he came from. Taught me a lot!
I don’t blame this family. At all. What happened was an unforeseen tragedy. But don’t ignore No Swimming signs and don’t come to Florida or our state parks in the northwest and expect nature to be kind. It is not. It is the exact opposite of Rouseeau’s theory if we bothered to read him.