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

Tallahassee, Fla. - Today, Florida TaxWatch released a briefing: Teaching Every Child to Swim Saves Thousands of Lives from Needless Drownings and Taxpayers Millions. This is the third in a series on the importance of teaching children to swim at an early age and making them feel comfortable in and around the water.

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said, "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 said, "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 important to consider other water safety measures that could be implemented to mitigate the risk of unintentional drownings. Although not yet filed, Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton) has expressed her intent to file two bills to address drowning.

Surrounded by water on three sides, Florida has a shoreline of 8,436 miles and 1.59 million residential swimming pools, the highest in the nation. With so many accessible waterbodies, it comes as no surprise that Florida also has the highest number of unintentional drowning deaths in children ages 1 to 4 and ranks 5th in unintentional drowning deaths across all age groups.

Over the past decade, the number of drownings among Florida children ages 1-4, and the rate per 100,000 population, have remained relatively constant. However, the number of children ages 1-5, and the rate per 100,000 population, hospitalized from non-fatal, near drownings have decreased significantly. State and local laws requiring more fencing around pools and overall awareness about the dangers of leaving children unsupervised by pools and water bodies have at least stemmed the increase in child drownings and near drownings.

Childhood drownings induce a wide range of psychological and other problems, such as depression, anxiety, or guilt which can be devastating to a family. Not only do drowning death have a personal impact, but they also pose an economic impact. Five hundred ninety-five children ages 1-4 drowned during the decade from 2013 to 2022. If these drowning deaths could have been avoided, the economic risk reduction would be in the range of $6.2 billion - $15.6 billion.

In 2024, SB 544 was passed into law which establishes the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program within the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). The program offers vouchers for swimming lessons to families with incomes not to exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and with one or more children four years of age or younger. SB 544 also requires the FDOH to establish eligibility criteria and application procedures, and to contract with a network of swimming lesson vendors to ensure availability.

This issue has been at the forefront of Florida TaxWatch, with President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro receiving in October the '2024 Every Child A Swimmer Award,' presented by the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). This award is presented to someone for their long and exceptional leadership, insight, and dedication to the water safety of children and the cause of making Every Child A Swimmer (ECAS).

To learn more and access previous briefings on the importance of teaching children to swim at an early age, including the first 2021 commentaryEvery Child A Swimmer and second commentaryEvery Child A Swimmer: 2024 Update, please click here.

About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, and the trusted "eyes and ears" of Florida taxpayers for more than 45 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.