Florida Woman Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse After Allegedly Holding Boy Underwater at Disney-Area Hotel

The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone, especially when you’re on vacation. However, when that stress turns violent, especially against a child, your holiday season can end up behind bars.

Tiffany Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, Florida, is facing charges of aggravated child abuse after an incident at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, just a few miles southeast of Disney World. The Gaylord Palms is a Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel.

According to a report from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, three children were playing in the Gaylord Palms pool when the situation became “aggressive.” Griffith told authorities she entered the pool to try to protect her nonverbal son, who has autism.

A woman has been accused of holding a 6 year old boy underwater in a pool at a four star Florida hotel after alleging the child bullied her son.

Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, entered the pool at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando on Friday afternoon and began screaming at the child… pic.twitter.com/kRdWt3szuR

— 🅽🅴🆁🅳🆈, 🅴🆂🆀 (@Nerdy_Addict) December 23, 2025

According to witnesses, Griffith yelled at a 6-year-old boy after he dunked her son underwater. She then allegedly grabbed the child by the shoulders and held him underwater for several seconds. Investigators have said that “alcohol could have played a role” in the incident.

“The victim exited the pool visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed and immediately reported the incident to his parents,” a social media post from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said. ”The suspect then began yelling at the victim’s mother before leaving the area.”

After the incident, Griffith was arrested and taken to the Osceola County Jail. Her bond was set at $20,000

“If she touched that child, that was wrong,” attorney Mark NeJame told Click Orlando. “You don’t take the law into your own hands and teach that kid a lesson. It’s illegal, you don’t touch anybody without their consent, in a manner that is intended to cause some measure of harm.”

Marriott Bonvoy owns the Gaylord Palms and is a Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel. It features its own indoor Christmas experience, called Ice!, which includes dozens of ice sculptures, indoor ice tubing, a Christmas market, and a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer exhibit. The hotel did not respond to requests for comment from local news networks.

In Florida, aggravated child abuse is a first-degree felony. Griffith could face up to 30 years in prison, with a minimum of 48 months, if convicted. That could ruin everyone’s holiday season.

What’s the worst behavior you’ve ever seen on a Disney World vacation? Let us know in the comments.