TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A bill to protect young children in the hands of daycare workers is now law in Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the “Child Safety Alarm Act," which forces childcare providers to install safety alarms in cars or vans used to transport kids. Those alarms would alert the drivers to check for children left behind.
In a press release, the Florida Senate said the legislation was assembled after "several high-profile tragedies."
State Sen. Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) and Florida Rep. Ben Diamond (D-St. Petersburg) introduced the legislation.
“I’m thankful this meaningful legislation has finally become law,” Stewart wrote in a statement. “For years we have debated this bill, and after each session we have gone home to hear tragedies of how children die because someone didn’t double check the vehicle. This law will help put an end to these terrible accidents, and provide peace of mind to families that their children will be safe.”
It's not hard to find examples of children dying of heatstroke after being left in daycare vans.
In May 2019, 10 Tampa Bay reported on a Jacksonville daycare owner who was arrested after a baby was left alone in a van for hours and died.
A similar tragedy happened three months later in Fort Lauderdale when a 2-year-old boy died in a daycare van after the driver turned off the safety alarm.
Citing KidsAndCars.org, the Florida Senate says the state has the second-highest number of child deaths from vehicular heat stroke over the last 20 years.
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