STUART, Fla. — On Thursday at Stuart Beach, a red flag warned swimmers of the rough conditions.
It was day much like this one when Erica Wishart and Brian Warter drowned on Hutchinson Island back in June.
“Brian and a couple of the kids were in the water and they made it out, and then Brian told the kids, 'Wait on the shore I’m going to go get your mom,' and then he ran back in the ocean and he lost his life trying to save her,” said Wishart's sister, Amy Jahnigen.
Region Martin County
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The couple’s families say they were on vacation staying in a condo with a private unguarded beach.
“There’s no way for a tourist or for a visitor to come down and know, okay, today is a really rough day, because they don’t have signage,” said Jahnigen.
“You’ve got to start defining the risk when you say swim at your own risk,” said Warter's father, Larry Warter.
Now, the two families are fighting for reform.
“I’d like to start with the resorts because that’s where you have a lot of tourists,” said Jahnigen.
She’s hoping the state of Florida updates its laws to require lifeguards at resorts and private beaches, along with signage and warning flags.
"Had there been a flag, had there been a warning, had there been information to educate them, they wouldn’t have got in the water," Jahnigen said.
Martin County says most unguarded beaches warn of no lifeguards and have signage about rip currents.
Jahnigen took her plea for safety improvements to the Martin County commissioners meeting.
She’s also been in touch with Martin County Ocean Rescue. They sent us the following statement: "We’ve had initial conversations to explore how we might support her efforts to improve beach safety education and drowning prevention in unguarded areas in the future.”
Martin County Ocean Rescue says in the last five years, they've had a total of eight drownings at all beaches in the county.
The next step is for Jahnigen to speak with Rep. Brian Mast at a meeting scheduled for next week to discuss how to move forward with legislation.
Both families say they’re still grieving the loss of two “amazing people.”
“I mean, they were just like the cutest couple and they both were kind of on their chapter two," Jahnigen said.
The next chapter is being written by two heartbroken families determined to fight the strong current that comes with change.
“I want what happened to our family to maybe save someone else,” said Jahnigen.
“I hope we save someone in the future,” added Warter.
