By ALEXIA MCKAY/FLORIDA COURIER
(Source: Florida Courier)
A recent study shows that drowning deaths among Black children in Florida were among the highest in the nation.
According to a new 50-state analysis by Schiller Kessler Group, Florida recorded 105 drowning deaths, the highest number of any state. The report found that across all ages, Black Americans drowned at 1.5 times the rate of white Americans.
Among children, the gap widens with age. Black children ages 5 to 9 drowned at 2.6 times the rate of white children, while Black children ages 10 to 14 drowned at 3.6 times the rate of white children.
In swimming pools, Black children ages 10 to 14 drown at 7.6 times the rate of white children in the same age group. The data is based on information collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On July 1, Florida expanded its Swimming Lesson Voucher Program, which provides free lessons to qualifying families earning no more than 200% of the federal poverty level.
Children ages 1 through 7 are now eligible. Previously, the program served children aged 4 and younger. However, eligibility still ends several years before children reach the 10-to-14 age group, where drowning incidents are higher.
In Tampa Bay, between 2013-2025, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office reported 128 drowning deaths of children ages 6 and up, and a total of 12 drownings last year.
The report raises questions about the factors and access Black families may face that contribute to the high drowning deaths.
