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Drowning prevention bills advancing
FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - As families across the country head to Florida for spring break, state lawmakers are advancing new measures aimed at preventing child drownings.
The proposals focus on two areas: Improving pool safety at vacation rentals and expanding education for parents about water safety risks.
With pools and waterfront homes common across Florida, lawmakers say visitors may not always realize how dangerous those environments can be for young children. State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, representing Orange County, said that risk is especially high for tourists visiting the state.
"We also know that tourists and folks that visit the state of Florida are a lot less likely to really fully understand and appreciate the risks of water and the risk to drowning that can come from swimming pools," Smith said.
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Why you should care:
Supporters of the legislation say the push comes after a troubling year for water safety in the state.
According to lawmakers, Florida recorded 119 fatal child drownings in 2025, the highest number ever reported in the state and the highest rate in the nation.
"Last year, sadly, Florida shattered its own previous record with 119 fatal child drownings in the state in 2025," Smith said.
One of the bills, which passed unanimously in the Florida Senate, would require additional safety features at vacation rentals with water nearby.
Under the proposal, vacation rental homes with a swimming pool or a body of water within 150 feet would have to install at least one approved safety feature.
Those could include:
- A pool fence
- A pool safety cover
- Exit alarms on doors or windows leading outside
- Self-closing or self-latching doors
The measure is now heading to the Florida House for consideration.
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Dig deeper:
A second bill sponsored by Smith focuses on education and prevention.
It would expand state swim lesson vouchers for children from ages 1–4 to ages 1–7.
The proposal would also require hospitals and birth centers to provide water safety education to new parents before they leave with their newborns.
Lawmakers say the data shows that education could be critical.
"Sadly, 68% of the fatal child drownings in the state of Florida last year were for children ages zero through three," Smith said. "That underscores how important it is for new parents to be armed with this critical information on drowning prevention."
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What's next:
Water safety advocates say the legislation is a step in the right direction.
Nathalie Martin, founder of the Swim Global Project, works to provide swim education and prevent drownings. She says early swim instruction can save lives.
"If we could get mandatory swimming lessons for children in grade three, that would be such a step in the right direction," Martin said.
Advocates say combining safety measures, swim lessons, and parent education could help reduce the number of drowning deaths in Florida, a risk that increases as more families gather around pools during the spring and summer months.
The Source: Sources for this report include an interview with State Senator Carlos Smith, Florida Senate legislation on drowning prevention, data from an interview with Carlos Guillermo Smith, an interview with Nathalie Martin and data from the Florida Department of Children and Families.