Lawmakers honor fallen high school football player
In this July 2016 photo made available by Laurie Giordano, her son Zachary and her daughter Vanessa sit together in an undisclosed location. Zach, a rising junior at a high school in Florida, collapsed while at a football practice in the summer of 2017. He died 11 days later. Photo via Laurie Giordano via AP.

Zach Martin AP
The bill is now named The Zachary Martin Act.

On the football field, Zach Martin was a protector — a 300-pound, 6-foot-4 offensive lineman who kept his quarterback safe from a rush of incoming blows.

Now in death, the teenager will be forever known as a protector after lawmakers acted Wednesday to honor him by renaming a bill that would require public schools across Florida to do more to protect athletes from deadly heat strokes.

Two summers ago, Martin collapsed after running sprints with his teammates in the sweltering South Florida heat. Minutes later, the 16-year-old was in the hospital, where he died 11 days later.

Associated Press



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704