Parents file lawsuit against Coral Springs and a daycare center following a six-year-old’s near-drowning at Cypress Water Park in 2023
Coral Springs, Florida – Two years after a terrifying near-drowning incident at Cypress Water Park, the parents of a young girl have filed a lawsuit against the City of Coral Springs and a now-shuttered daycare center, claiming negligence and seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
The incident occurred on June 12, 2023, during a summer camp field trip organized by Kids Paradise, a daycare based in Coconut Creek. According to the lawsuit filed in Broward County Circuit Court earlier this month, the six-year-old girl was found unconscious at the bottom of the pool by her older siblings, who were also attending the field trip. The girl was not breathing at the time she was discovered.
In the complaint, attorneys for the parents, Katia and Portege Thelusma, allege that there was no lifeguard or pool attendant actively monitoring the pool area when the child was found. While a lifeguard reportedly did administer life-saving measures and successfully revived the child, the lawsuit claims the delay in response caused irreversible harm.
The legal filing, dated June 2, asserts that the young girl suffered “severe and permanent injuries, including traumatic brain injury” due to a prolonged lack of oxygen before being rescued. The parents argue that the absence of proper supervision constituted gross negligence on the part of both Kids Paradise and the City of Coral Springs, which owns and operates Cypress Water Park.
Kids Paradise has since gone out of business. Its phone lines are disconnected, its website is offline, and online search results now label the daycare as permanently closed. It remains unclear when the facility shut down or if the closure was related to the incident.
The Thelusmas’ legal team is pressing the case based on the belief that both the daycare and the city failed to meet the basic standards of care expected when supervising young children, especially in high-risk environments like public pools. Though a tragedy was narrowly avoided, the long-term effects on the child have left a lasting impact on the family.
City officials have not commented publicly on the lawsuit. The legal proceedings are still in the early stages, and no trial date has been set.
As the case moves forward, it continues to raise serious concerns about safety protocols at public recreational facilities and the responsibilities of organizations that coordinate outings for young children.
