Miami Beach to Hold Dedication for Aden Perry Life Rings

Miami Beach, FL – Join the City of Miami Beach on Friday, April 4 at 4 p.m. when the family of a South Florida high school student who drowned in Broward County trying to save an 18-year-old stranger presents the city with the first of multiple life rings intended to prevent future tragedies like the one that took the life of 17-year-old Aden Perry three years ago. The event will take place in Pine Tree Park (4493 Pine Tree Drive) near the kayak launch.

“As a father I can’t begin to fathom the pain Aden’s family has endured since this tragedy,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. “I commend the Perry family for finding a way to turn their immeasurable grief into saving lives.”

Miami Beach plans to install 14 Aden Perry Life Rings along waterways throughout the city under a joint initiative with the Aden Perry Foundation. The nonprofit organization has distributed more than 400 life rings to communities throughout South Florida in honor of Aden’s selfless act.

Municipalities have the option of purchasing additional custom-made life rings at a discounted price from the manufacturer. They are displayed at emergency stations that advise users to call 911 in case of an emergency and to “throw … don’t go” into the water.

“If Aden had access to one of these life rings, he might not have had to risk his own life going into the lake,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who sponsored the resolution to install the flotation devices in Miami Beach. “Aden’s sacrifice will never be forgotten in Miami Beach and elsewhere.”

Perry, a Western High School student at the time, drowned on April 20, 2022 when he tried to save a high school basketball player who got lost on his way home from a game. As the teen was getting directions by phone, he missed a turn, struck a curb and a tree before crashing into a Sunrise lake where he drowned.

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