The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Fiscal Policy
BILL: CS/SB 544
INTRODUCER: Health Policy Committee and Senator Hutson and others
SUBJECT: Swimming Lesson Voucher Program
DATE: January 29, 2024 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Looke Brown HP Fav/CS
2. Gerbrandt McKnight AHS Favorable
3. Looke Yeatman FP Favorable
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
CS/SB 544 creates s. 514.073, F.S., to establish the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program within
the Department of Health (DOH) to increase water safety by offering vouchers for swimming
lessons to families with an income of up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level that have one
or more children four years of age or younger. The bill requires the DOH to establish eligibility
criteria for the vouchers, contract with a network of swimming lesson vendors to ensure
availability, and to establish methods for members of the public to apply for vouchers.
The bill appropriates $500,000 in nonrecurring general revenue to the DOH to fund the program.
The DOH may incur costs related to workload. See Section V. Fiscal Impact Statement.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
II. Present Situation:
The Danger of Drowning
Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death among children. For all ages, the
current annual global estimate is 295,000 drowning deaths, although this figure is thought to
underreport fatal drowning, in particular boating and disaster related drowning mortality.
BILL: CS/SB 544 Page 2
Drowning disproportionately impacts children and young people, with over half of all drowning
deaths occurring among people younger than 25 years old. In many countries, children under five
years of age record the highest rate of fatal and non-fatal drowning, with incidents commonly
occurring in swimming pools and bathtubs in high income countries and in bodies of water in
and around a home in low income contexts.1
Drowning Deaths in Florida
Drowning deaths in Florida have consistently ranged between 350 and 500 deaths per year in the
state from 2003 to present. Data from 2022 shows that most counties suffered less than 10 deaths
from drowning in that year, but many highly populated and coastal counties suffered from a
much higher rate of drowning.2 For example, Broward County had 46 drowning deaths in 2022,
Miami-Dade had 30, Hillsborough had 33, and Palm Beach had 42.3
Formal Swimming Lessons and Drowning Prevention
Learning to swim has been found to be an effective drowning prevention strategy and has been
proposed by the World Health Organization as one of ten key strategies for global drowning
prevention. Participation in formal swimming lessons has been shown to reduce drowning risk
among children aged 1-19 years, and a recent review of evidence suggests that teaching aquatic
competencies to young children causes no increased risk, particularly when combined with the
additional drowning prevention strategies of supervision, restricting access to water and
caregiver training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).4 Swimming lessons have been found
to be particularly effective in protecting children age 0-4 from drowning with one study showing
that formal swimming lessons were associated with an 88 percent reduction in the risk for
drowning for that population.5
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
The bill creates the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program (program) within the Department of
Health (DOH). The purpose of the program is to increase water safety in Florida by offering
vouchers for swimming lessons at no cost to families at or below 200 percent of the FPL and
who have at least one child aged four or younger. The bill requires the DOH to:
 Contract with and establish a network of swimming lesson vendors that will accept the
vouchers offered by the program. The bill specifies that the DOH must attempt to contract
with at least one swimming lesson vendor in each county. Additionally, the bill requires that
1
Peden AE, Franklin RC. Learning to Swim: An Exploration of Negative Prior Aquatic Experiences among Children. Int J
Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 19;17(10):3557. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17103557. PMID: 32438661; PMCID:
PMC7277817. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277817/. (Last visited Jan. 11, 2024).
2
Florida Health Charts, Deaths from Unintentional Drowning, available at
https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Death.DataViewer&cid=0105, (last visited Jan 10,
2024).
3
Id.
4
Supra, note. 2
5
Brenner RA, Taneja GS, Haynie DL, Trumble AC, Qian C, Klinger RM, Klebanoff MA. Association between swimming
lessons and drowning in childhood: a case-control study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Mar;163(3):203-10. doi:
10.1001/archpediatrics.2008.563. PMID: 19255386; PMCID: PMC4151293.
BILL: CS/SB 544 Page 3
any vendor that offers swimming lessons at a public pool that is owned or maintained by a
county or municipality must participate in the program.
 Establish a method for members of the public to apply for vouchers and for determining the
applicant’s eligibility. The bill requires the DOH to establish eligibility criteria including, but
not limited to:
o The age of each child for whom a voucher is being sought, which can be no more than
four years of age;
o The family’s income level up to 200 percent of the FPL; and
o The family’s address of residency in Florida.
 Subject to a specific appropriation, issue vouchers to eligible applicants
The bill appropriates $500,000 in nonrecurring general revenue to the DOH to fund the program.
The bill also authorizes the DOH to seek grants or other public or private funding for the
program and requires the DOH to adopt rules to implement the program.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
E. Other Constitutional Issues:
None.
V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
The bill may have a positive fiscal impact on families seeking swimming lessons for
children who qualify for vouchers under the program.
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C. Government Sector Impact:
The bill appropriates $500,000 in nonrecurring general revenue to the Department of
Health (DOH) to fund the program.
The DOH may incur a significant negative impact due to the bill’s provisions requiring
the DOH to develop an application review process and maintain a network of swimming
lesson vendors in each county. It is unclear if these costs can be absorbed within current
resources. The DOH has not submitted a fiscal impact analysis at the time of this
publication.
VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None.
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill creates section 514.073 of the Florida Statutes.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Substantial Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
CS by Health Policy on January 16, 2024:
The CS adds a $500,000 nonrecurring appropriation from general revenue to the DOH to
fund the program.
B. Amendments:
None.
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.