TAMPA, Fla. — Low-income families will be able to enroll their children in free swimming lessons as a part of a new program within the Department of Health.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 544 on Monday, which will require the department to work with swimming lesson vendors to to participate in a swimming lesson voucher program.
The program will cover the costs of families with an income up to 200% of the federal poverty level who have one or more children 4 years old or younger. The newly signed law states the department has to establish the program with at least one vendor in each county.
The goal is to increase water safety in Florida.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1 to 4 years old, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The state is ranked 5th in the country for unintentional drowning deaths.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm Coast, and co-sponsored by Democratic Senators Lori Berman and Lauren Book. It was passed unanimously in the House and Senate and will go into effect July 1.
