Spring Hill YMCA dedicates bench to toddler, underscores swim safety
The YMCA of Spring Hill held a memorial on December 5, 2025 to dedicate a bench and plaque for two year old Maxton Phillips, a regular visitor who drowned in 2022. The ceremony highlighted the YMCAs expanded water safety efforts, which local leaders credit with sharply reducing drownings countywide and serving thousands of children this year.
The YMCA of Spring Hill dedicated a new bench and plaque on December 5 to honor two year old Maxton Phillips, whose 2022 drowning prompted renewed emphasis on toddler swim safety across Hernando County. Between 30 and 40 people attended the memorial, which placed the bench in a grassy area where Maxton often played on the way in and out of the building.
Maxton was born in May 2020 and his family were regular visitors at the YMCA. Staff remembered him as a familiar presence in the kid zone. "It was heartbreaking for our staff," said Kent Reiber, executive director of the YMCA of the Suncoast. Reiber said he and his team began planning a formal tribute in November 2023 after the first anniversary of Maxtons death, and that longtime staff member Debbie LaFranca who has worked at the Y for 28 years helped lead the bench effort. Hernando County Sheriffs Office Lieutenant Scott Lamia assisted with arrangements for the plaque and continues to serve on an advisory council that links the YMCA and law enforcement on water safety.
Maxtons mother Megan initially declined to participate while she processed her loss, but attended the dedication alongside family members. "I think it shows an incredible testament to their strength of what they are capable of to be able to come and celebrate Maxton in that way," Reiber said.
The dedication underscored the YMCAs broader prevention work through its FLOAT program, which offers one on one swim safety lessons for infants and toddlers. Sessions typically consist of 10 to 15 private lessons with certified instructors who focus on rolling to the back breathing and floating to the side of the pool until help arrives. The program was founded with the help of Ashley Young a mother who also lost a child to drowning.
Local officials and YMCA leaders point to measurable progress. Drownings in Hernando County declined from 11 in 2023 to 2 in 2024 and are at 0 so far in 2025. The YMCA reported serving 2,125 children with water safety instruction in 2025 alone. The memorial and continued programming aim to keep that momentum by making swim safety accessible and sustaining partnerships between the nonprofit and the sheriffs office to protect young children in the community.
