TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Florida schools are taking a major step toward saving lives during cardiac emergencies. A new state law requires every public and charter school to have at least one automated external defibrillator (AED) on campus, and ensures both staff and students are trained to use it.

Gulf County Schools Superintendent Jim Norton knows the stakes all too well. Last fall, Port St. Joe High School football standout Chance Gainer collapsed during a game and died. It was later confirmed to be a sudden cardiac arrest.

“The first thing you think is not that somebody’s had a heart attack and dropped dead in the middle of a football game,” Norton said. “You’re thinking a neck injury, a knee, or heat—something like that.”

According to state data, an estimated 30,000 Floridians died from sudden cardiac arrest in 2023. Lawmakers said this new requirement could significantly reduce that number.

“We’re making sure we get AEDs into the hands of the person who needs it as quickly as possible,” said Sen. Corey Simon (R), Tallahassee, who championed the law.

The American Heart Association says 70% of children who experience cardiac arrest at school survive if an AED is available and used promptly. Dr. Stephen Chelko, a Florida State University researcher studying Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes, said reaching a victim within the first three minutes is crucial.

“If you can reach the student within 3 minutes, the likelihood of them surviving is astronomical,” Chelko said. “But if 8 minutes go by and you don’t shock them back into rhythm, they likely won’t survive.”

The new law doesn’t just place AEDs in schools—it also mandates training for the instruments. School staff and even middle school students will learn how to use the lifesaving devices, and the law requires emergency plans involving first responders to be in place.

“To have an AED machine and no one know how to use it is just as bad as not having one,” Simon said. “Introducing training into our health classes is a great idea.”

For parents and school leaders like Norton, having an extra layer of protection brings peace of mind.

“It’s reassuring to parents, to student-athletes themselves, and to the families that entrust their children to us every day,” Norton said.

Florida schools that don’t already have AEDs on campus have two years to comply with the law to secure consistent access statewide.

https://www.wctv.tv/2025/07/16/florida-schools-now-required-have-aeds-campus-under-new-law/