A 1-year-old girl in Homestead died over the weekend after being left in a hot car, according to Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit that tracks vehicle-related deaths.
Saturday's death in Miami-Dade County is the sixth such death in Florida this year, and the 26th nationally.
Florida has reported more of these deaths this year than any other state.
While temperatures were cooler over the weekend, in the mid-80s, they were still hot enough to lead to death or injury.
Since 1990, at least 1,199 children have died in hot cars in the United States and at least another 7,500 survived with varying degrees of injury, according to data compiled by Kids and Car Safety.
According to the Miami Herald, Keyner Vazquez de Leon, 22, was arrested on Sunday and charged with manslaughter of a child younger than 18, child neglect, and leaving a child unattended in a car.
He is not related to the child, but typically takes her from her home to a babysitter's house Monday through Saturday.
The sheriff's office said he picked her up around 6:45 a.m. Saturday, drove another person to work, and then accidentally forgot about the girl until her mother called him around 3 p.m., asking where her daughter was.
Child hot car deaths and injuries are largely misunderstood by the general public, according to Kids and Care Safety.
"The most dangerous mistake a parent or caregiver can make is to think leaving a child alone in a vehicle could never happen to them or their family," reads a statement on the group's website.
Here are some safety tips for parents and caregivers.
Copyright 2026 WUSF 89.7
