Florida Flood Claims Father After Desperate Call to Wife

Bennett was making a coffee run when rising water engulfed his vehicle during severe storms in Palm Bay, in Brevard County. During a FaceTime call, he told his wife, Stacy Petit Bennett, that he was surrounded by water and did not know what to do. She urged him to break a window and get out; the call then disconnected. She spent hours trying to get help, but he died inside the truck.

Bennett was 34 and the father of four children: a son and three daughters. His wife described him as a devoted parent who enjoyed baking and outdoor activities with the children. The couple met while studying bio pre-med in college and married in 2020. Their twin daughters were born at 25 weeks and spent about three months in hospital; three of the children have special needs.

Stacy Bennett said she is now without her husband’s support and is caring for the children on her own. She is arranging to take his remains to his home state of New Hampshire, while relatives have started a fundraiser to help the family.

Bennett was among two people who lost their lives in the flooding. Palm Bay officials identified the other victim as 78-year-old Archie Richards, also found dead in a vehicle. Forecasters recorded 19.75 inches of rain in Palm Bay on Monday, November 2. Hundreds of people elsewhere in Florida were rescued. Weather experts cited this year’s strong El Niño as a factor in the storms and warned that further severe weather could occur in the coming months.