If signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the bill will provide swimming lesson vouchers for children — ages 4 or younger — in families with an income of no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
The Florida House of Representatives approved the bill, SB 544, last week 114-0 after the measure passed the Senate 39-0 in February. The legislation had been introduced by Florida Sen. Travis Hutson of Palm Coast, along with South Florida state senators Lori Berman and Lauren Book.
"In the past, we've focused on how to physically make pools safer, but this bill is going to save lives by actually teaching high-risk kids how to swim," Hutson said in a public statement.
Drowning is the primary cause of accidental deaths in children ages 1 to 4 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Florida, there were 97 child drownings in 2023.
From 2018 to 2020, Florida was the state with the highest per-capita rate of drowning deaths in children ages 1 to 9 years old.
Florida Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera of Coral Gables helped push for legislation to prevent juvenile drowning and introduced a companion bill, which was laid on the table as the senate version went to a vote.
"There is nothing more important to parents than the health and well-being of their children," Busatta Cabrera, whose district includes Coral Gables, South Miami, Cutler Bay, and West Miami, said in a statement. "That’s why we've taken a giant step toward providing greater access to swimming lessons for young children in Florida."
Now awaiting the governor's approval, the legislation directs the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to establish a network of vendors to accept vouchers for child swimming lessons at no cost to low-income families.
The department, either indirectly or through a nonprofit partner, must attempt to secure at least one vendor per county under the bill so that access to the program is widely available. If an existing swimming lesson contractor operates at a public pool owned by a municipality or county, it would have to accept the vouchers at the request of FDOH.
The program would have a big impact on Miami-Dade County's lower-income residents with young children who've yet to learn how to swim, as 38 percent of individuals in Miami-Dade have incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level, according to FDOH.
"Living in Miami-Dade County means being surrounded by pools, beaches, and waterways, making it essential that we equip our children with proper swimming skills," Miami-Dade County District 6 Commissioner Kevin Cabrera, the husband of Busatta Cabrera, said in a statement provided to New Times. "That's why, last summer, our office took a proactive step by sponsoring free swimming classes for children in our district."
Last August, Cabrera announced the re-opening of the county’s A.D. Barnes Pool after a $250,000 renovation.
Thirteen child drowning deaths have been reported in Florida in 2024, with the victims' ages ranging from 1 to 5 years old, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families. The department's records describe the following incidents in March, including three child deaths in a five-day span:
- 3/2 - Palm Beach County: "2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in a nearby canal when he got out of the family's apartment undetected."
- 3/10 - Osceola County: "2 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased four days after he was found unresponsive in the hot tub while he was in the pool area with his parents at the Airbnb where the family was vacationing from out of the country."
- 3/12 - Lee County: "3 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased three days after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool where she and a sibling were being supervised by the grandfather."
- 3/14 - Charlotte County: "3-year-old child was pronounced deceased three days after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool after she got out of the home undetected when she was being watched by a relative."
Victor Okafor, Miami Dade College’s Dean of Science, drowned in a hotel swimming pool along with his two sons while on vacation from South Florida.
"They had visited Kennedy Space Center earlier...and were to be in St. Augustine until Saturday taking in the sights," the police report said.
Okafor’s wife told police that "none of the three had medical conditions, but confirmed none of them knew how to swim," authorities said.
The hotel pool’s depth was three feet on one end, and eight feet on the other end, according to News4Jax.
