Florida TaxWatch Provides “Every Child a Swimmer” Update, Emphasizes Importance of Legislative Remedies in 2025 – Florida TaxWatch

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch launched a briefing: Teaching Every Child to Swim Saves Thousands of Lives from Needless Drownings and Taxpayers Millions. This is the third in a sequence on the significance of instructing kids to swim at an early age and making them really feel comfy in and across the water.

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro mentioned, “Drowning is a tragic and often preventable accident. It is the leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 12. Florida TaxWatch strongly believes that swimming should be considered a basic life skill and that children should be taught how to swim at an early age. These TaxWatch recommendations will save hundreds of lives and taxpayers millions of dollars each year.”

Florida TaxWatch Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Kottkamp mentioned, “Florida TaxWatch conducts this invaluable research in order to advance public policy that will help prevent children from drowning. We commend Florida legislators who have sponsored or supported legislation to promote water safety in our state and for their efforts to prevent unintentional childhood drownings.”

As the 2025 legislative session approaches, it is very important take into account different water security measures that could possibly be applied to mitigate the danger of unintentional drownings. Although not but filed, Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton) has expressed her intent to file two payments to handle drowning.

Surrounded by water on three sides, Florida has a shoreline of 8,436 miles and 1.59 million residential swimming swimming pools, the very best within the nation. With so many accessible waterbodies, it comes as no shock that Florida additionally has the very best variety of unintentional drowning deaths in kids ages 1 to 4 and ranks fifth in unintentional drowning deaths throughout all age teams.

Over the previous decade, the variety of drownings amongst Florida kids ages 1-4, and the speed per 100,000 inhabitants, have remained comparatively fixed. However, the variety of kids ages 1-5, and the speed per 100,000 inhabitants, hospitalized from non-fatal, close to drownings have decreased considerably. State and native legal guidelines requiring extra fencing round swimming pools and general consciousness concerning the risks of leaving kids unsupervised by swimming pools and water our bodies have at the least stemmed the rise in baby drownings and close to drownings.

Childhood drownings induce a variety of psychological and different issues, comparable to despair, anxiousness, or guilt which will be devastating to a household. Not solely do drowning dying have a private affect, however additionally they pose an financial affect. Five hundred ninety-five kids ages 1-4 drowned through the decade from 2013 to 2022. If these drowning deaths may have been averted, the financial danger discount could be within the vary of $6.2 billion – $15.6 billion.

In 2024, SB 544 was handed into regulation which establishes the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program throughout the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). The program affords vouchers for swimming classes to households with incomes to not exceed 200 % of the federal poverty stage, and with a number of kids 4 years of age or youthful. SB 544 additionally requires the FDOH to determine eligibility standards and utility procedures, and to contract with a community of swimming lesson distributors to make sure availability.

This concern has been on the forefront of Florida TaxWatch, with President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro receiving in October the ‘2024 Every Child A Swimmer Award,’ offered by the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). This award is offered to somebody for his or her lengthy and distinctive management, perception, and dedication to the water security of kids and the reason for making Every Child A Swimmer (ECAS).

To study extra and entry earlier briefings on the significance of instructing kids to swim at an early age, together with the primary 2021 commentary Every Child A Swimmer and second commentary Every Child A Swimmer: 2024 Update, please click on right here.

About Florida TaxWatch
As an impartial, nonpartisan, nonprofit authorities watchdog and taxpayer analysis institute, and the trusted “eyes and ears” of Florida taxpayers for greater than 45 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to enhance the productiveness and accountability of Florida authorities. Its analysis recommends productiveness enhancements and explains the statewide affect of fiscal and financial insurance policies and practices on taxpayers and companies. FTW is supported by its membership by way of voluntary, tax-deductible donations and personal grants. Donations present a strong, lasting basis that has enabled FTW to convey a couple of more practical, responsive authorities that’s extra accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For extra info, please go to www.floridataxwatch.org.