A family vacation should be nothing but an entertaining time for kids. If you’re visiting somewhere like Florida, there’s no shortage of amazing amusement parks to hit and all sorts of beaches and water sports to take part in, not to mention how cool it feels to stay at a hotel when you’re a kid. But sadly, a young girl’s vacation with her dad took a turn for the worse when she was spending time at their hotel pool. Her father, a candidate for the Colorado State Senate, was arrested in the Florida Keys after his daughter nearly drowned while he went to get a drink from the bar.
A girl almost drowned at a Florida hotel pool when her dad left her to grab a drink.
According to CBS Miami, police were called to 275 Front St. in Key West, Florida, just after 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2026, to respond to reports that a child may have been drowning in a hotel pool.
The 4-year-old girl’s older brother, who was only 6, approached a bystander who was near the hotel pool for help because his parents weren’t around, according to an arrest warrant obtain by The U.S. Sun. A man was able to pull the little girl, who was unconscious and foaming from the mouth, from the hot tub and begin CPR before calling emergency services.
First responders who arrived to help the girl and the police said no parent was present with the children from at least 7:34 p.m. until 7:40 p.m., CBS Miami reported. It was then when their father, 38-year-old Frederick Alfred, arrived with an alcoholic beverage.
The kids’ dad was only supposed to be gone five minutes.
According to The U.S. Sun, Alfred was arrested at Sunset Key Cottages, a high-end oceanfront resort. He faces two felony child neglect charges, per CBS Miami.
After his daughter’s near drowning incident, Alfred told police he had left his children alone at the hot tub for about five minutes to get himself a drink, CBS Miami reported.
Police were able to obtain Alfred’s bar receipt, which showed he purchased a “Bourbon and Bubbles” drink for $20 and a Levitate drink, which is a cannabis-infused beverage, per The U.S. Sun.
Even though Alfred’s son also swallowed an unknown amount of water while he was trying to get his sister out of the hot tub, Alfred refused to have his kids taken to the hospital, which first responders suggested, The U.S. Sun reported. Eventually, he changed his mind.
Alfred is a Colorado State Senate candidate.
According to CBS Miami, Alfred and his wife are from Commerce City, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. His arrest occurred during his run for Colorado State Senate as the only Republican seeking the seat.
According to information on his website, the husband and father of two is running on a platform of needing “leadership that restores parental rights” and “securing a future where families … thrive.”
During his arrest, Alfred was placed in handcuffs and the Key West Police Department “noticed the strong smell of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person,” The U.S. Sun reported. He has a court date scheduled for early May.
We hope his children have recovered from the trauma they experienced during their Florida hotel stay.
