Fort Myers woman accused of holding child underwater at Central Florida hotel pool pleads no contest

Tiffany Griffith, a Fort Myers woman accused of holding a 6-year-old child underwater at a hotel pool in Kissimmee, has pleaded no contest to a child abuse charge.

According to court documents, Griffith entered a no-contest plea on June 3. Griffith pled no contest to one count of child abuse, a third-degree felony.

Osceola County deputies reported that the incident happened at the Gaylord Palms Hotel pool in December 2025. Deputies said that Griffith entered the pool, yelling at a child for dunking her 7-year-old son, who has autism and is non-verbal, underwater.

Surveillance footage showed Griffith then began to splash water on the 6-year-old child before placing her hands on his shoulders and dunking him under the water for two seconds, deputies say. The child then ran out of the water with a nosebleed, an affidavit said.

Deputies reported that Griffith claimed to be a former law enforcement officer and said she pushed the child to protect her son. However, the prosecutor stated at a pretrial hearing, "She wasn't protecting her child; this is retaliation for what happened to her child."

As a result of the no-contest plea, Griffith will serve 18 months of probation and 50 hours of community service. The plea also resulted in adjudication being withheld for Griffith, meaning that if she successfully completes her probation, no formal felony conviction will appear on her record.

Griffith is to have no contact with the victim or the family of the victim.