Lauderdale-by-the-Sea restricts depth of sand holes, following death of 7-year-old girl

Milena Malaver
·3 min read
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After a 7-year-old girl died in a beach sand hole that collapsed on her, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has restricted the depth of sand holes on its beaches.

The June 6 ordinance, passed unanimously by the five-person town commission, prohibits digging a hole or trench on the beach deeper than 18 inches and outlaws anyone from leaving an area without completely filling in a hole or trench dug on a beach. The measure also prohibits removing or excavating sand from any dune or beach within town limits.

The new ordinance comes four months after the February death of Sloan Mattingly, who was playing with her brother Maddox when a 5- to 6-foot sand hole they dug on the beach collapsed on them, trapping her. Despite beachgoers and the parents’ frantic efforts to dig them out, the shifting sand hindered their rescue attempts.

Maddox Mattingly, Sloan’s 9-year-old brother, survived; Sloan was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where doctors pronounced her dead. The family was vacationing from Indiana and were at the beach at 4424 El Mar Drive in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

In a statement to the Herald on Friday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit says it has concluded its investigation and ruled Sloan’s death as an accident.

Investigators on the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea take photos of the scene of a sand collapse on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. A young girl died Tuesday afternoon after she and a young boy were digging a hole in the sand on the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea when it collapsed on them, burying them both, a city official said.
Investigators on the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea take photos of the scene of a sand collapse on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. A young girl died Tuesday afternoon after she and a young boy were digging a hole in the sand on the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea when it collapsed on them, burying them both, a city official said.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is not the first Broward city that regulates sand holes. The city of Fort Lauderdale has an existing ordinance that prohibits digging holes at beaches.

No lifeguards

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea does not employ lifeguards, however.

Tom Gill, vice president of the United States Lifesaving Association, emphasized the need for greater safety measures.

“Passing an ordinance limiting holes to 18 inches is a very small step in protecting people,” said Gill, who has been an ocean lifeguard for 34 years. “Ordinances, similar to flags, do not save people. Lifeguards, trained to prevent drowning and injuries, could significantly enhance beach safety.”

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Mayor Edmund Malkoon reiterated the town’s commitment to public safety, in an email to the Herald. “We recently amended our Town Code to prohibit digging deeper than 18 inches on our beach and are now considering adding a beach code enforcement officer to enforce our local laws. I hope other coastal towns will follow our lead.”

A man died last Friday afternoon after he was rescued from the ocean in a town beach. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue took the man to Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale, where he was pronounced dead, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

On its website, the town has a rip current safety guide that states: “The Town’s Volunteer Fire Department established a Beach Safety Patrol in October 2008. However, Beach Safety Patrol members are not lifeguards, and they have not received training to make ocean rescues.”

The Broward Sheriff’s Office and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue intermittently patrol the beach as well.

Commissioner Theo Poulopoulos has been advocating for lifeguards and did so after the June 6 vote.

“I think the prospects are good in the long run,” Poulopoulos told the New Pelican, a Pompano Beach newspaper. “We need to look at the costs and how we can pay for it. I don’t want to raise taxes for it, but there are other ways we can look into paying for it.”

Gill, with the lifeguard association, acknowledged the cost.

“The financial aspect is always a concern, but the cost of not having lifeguards is also significant,” said Gill. “Lifeguards can minimize emergency response costs by handling situations before they escalate.”

In addition to the ordinance, the Town Commission approved the “Sandcastles for Sloan” national beach safety campaign on April 30.

The initiative, developed at the request of the Mattingly family, aims to educate the public about beach safety. Materials, including flyers, brochures, videos and social media posts, are being rolled out and shared with coastal communities nationwide. The campaign encourages beachgoers to build sandcastles instead of digging holes.

For more information and to access educational materials, visit the town’s website at Sandcastles for Sloan Beach Safety Campaign.