Andrew Powell
New swimming safety measures could be implemented to help protect children from drowning.
The bill (HB 413), filed by Boca Raton Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, would create the “Kareem Angel Green Autism Drowning Prevention Act.”
If passed, the act would prohibit organizations that provide care for children under the age of 12-years-old, or children who have been diagnosed with autism under the age of 18-years-old, from gaining access to public swimming pools and bathing places without first getting specified information from the child’s parents or legal guardians.
These organizations include summer day camps, full-time residential summer camps, schools, preschools, kindergartens, nursery schools, or childcare centers that provide care for more than five children.
Under the bill, parents and legal guardians would first have to provide one of the following — a certification from the American Red Cross, the Y.M.C.A, or other nationally recognized aquatic training program that the child is proficient in swimming; a signed written statement from a parent or legal guardian that states the child is able to swim; or a waiver that acknowledges their child is unable to swim and could be at risk of injury while swimming, releasing the organization from any liability.
If a parent or guardian notifies an organization that their child is unable to swim proficiently, the organization would be required to provide a Coast Guard-approved floatation device to the child before they can enter the water.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in young children in Florida, and a significant cause of death for medically frail elderly people, according to the bill.
The bill notes that constant adult supervision and the use of safety features would be key to reducing drowning deaths. It further notes the health care costs, loss of lifetime productivity, and legal expenses associated with brain disabilities that come from near-drownings are “enormous.”
The bill would require new swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs to be equipped with at least one safety feature. The Florida Department of Health would be responsible for producing or adopting a publication that informs parents and caregivers of how to prevent drownings.
Licensed pool contractors would also be responsible for providing drowning prevention information to clients who are getting a new pool, spa, or hot tub installed under the bill.
