Nunez announces launch of swimming voucher program, highlighting water safety

KEY LARGO, Fla. – Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez expressed the importance of water safety and drowning prevention Tuesday by announcing the approval of a new swim voucher program.

The program went into effect on Monday after being signed into law by the governor. It provides free swimming lessons for low-income families who have one or more children of ages four and under.

“More important than ever, we want to make sure that we bring awareness to water safety and drowning prevention. We want to share some of the things that visitors and residents and family members can do to keep themselves as well as their children safe,” Nunez said at a press conference.

Speaking at the Jacobs Aquatic Center, Nunez added Florida has seen 60 drownings this year, calling the events “heart wrenching” and “unacceptable” from herself and the governor.

She also noted drownings were the number one cause of death for children between the ages of one and four.

“You think about that, that 60 families abandoned, 60 families destroyed having to deal with that tragic situation,” Nunez said. “We want to do everything we can, as a community, as a state, to be able to bring information to individuals [to] make sure that they understand that we all have a role to play, that we all have a responsibility to keep ourselves and our family members, especially our children, safe.”

Sponsored by Sen. Travis Huston, R-Palm Coast, SB 544 will be implemented using $500,000 under the guidance of the Florida Department of Health.

Nunez also shared water safety tips for parents, including keeping children supervised at all times.

“Even if they know how to swim, supervising children is extremely important when they’re around bodies of water and even when they’re in the bathtub,” Nunez said. “Sadly, we see every year we see drownings of infants and young children in bathtubs with very little water.”

Nunez encouraged family members to become engaged in swimming lessons. Among her safety tips, she noted checking pool barriers and making sure gates met state law requirements.

With miles of coastline, Nunez further stressed the importance of checking beach weather conditions and avoiding dangerous rip currents. She also noted the importance of individuals knowing CPR in the events of resuscitation.

“We have people from all over the world that come to Florida specifically to enjoy our beaches, our pools, our springs, our rivers, but we want them to do so safely,” she said.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo also joined Nunez in announcing the initiative.

“We have multiple prongs in our strategy to both increase awareness, increase access to swimming lessons, increase access to preventive strategies like gates and door alarms which can be extremely helpful because it’s hard to always keep track of where the little kids are running around in your home especially if you’re a busy parent,” he said.