Florida will increase age restrict for swimming lesson vouchers as drowning numbers method report stage

It was a record-setting 12 months for drownings in Florida in 2025, and it seems as if the state could possibly be on tempo of eclipsing that quantity this 12 months.

That makes swimming security through the Fourth of July vacation weekend extra important.

Giselle Sesteaga is aware of first-hand the significance of swim security. Her son had a scare when he was only a 12 months previous.

“Thankfully we were really close, but he just went into the pool and a friend helped get him out,” she mentioned.

Sesteaga mentioned she did not know till CBS News Miami instructed her, that her now five-year-old son is eligible for a voucher the place the state pays for as much as eight swim classes.

“We’re excited because that would give us the opportunity since we have another son as well,” she mentioned. “He’s two, so we’re currently paying for the swim classes for both of them.” 

A brand new Florida regulation took impact this week. 

It elevated the age vary of eligibility by three years to seven-years-old. The state additionally doubled the quantity of funding for the voucher program from $500,000 final 12 months to $1 million this 12 months. 

Will Clark needs the voucher for his 6-year-old son.

“They can do this to allow their kids to be safe. They can get in there the kids aren’t dealing with the fear of the water and they can enjoy this much more,” Clark mentioned

Miren Oca, of OcaQuatics, mentioned her swim college has already helped 400 households qualify for the voucher this 12 months. She mentioned it may be for first-timers, and for fogeys that need observe up classes for his or her youngsters. 

“You need that consistent swimming lessons. You can’t do a few swimming lessons at one and then stop and they are a swimmer,” Oca mentioned.

But there are sometimes extra candidates than obtainable vouchers. 

State lawmakers discovered that final 12 months, 16,663 functions got here by, however solely 4,945, or about 29% of them had been permitted.

Nicklaus youngsters’s hospital says that Florida had a report 119 drownings final 12 months, and the state is on tempo to eclipse that quantity this 12 months, with 62 as of July. Ten of them had been in South Florida. 

“One of the single most important things we can do for children of all ages is making sure they know how to swim,” Said Malvina Duncan of Niklaus youngsters’s hospital. 

Oca mentioned it is all the time good to get your youngsters within the water early and to have extra classes as soon as they begin college. 

You can solely get the vouchers at state permitted websites like OcaQuatics. Check out this website for info on how one can apply for the voucher and a listing of state permitted websites.

In: