Every incoming freshman planning to play a high school sport in Florida must now get their heart checked before stepping on a field.
The Second Chance Act, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, took effect Tuesday, July 1, making Florida the first state to mandate ECG cardiac screenings for all new high school athletes, according to the bill's sponsors and the nonprofit Who We Play For. The law applies to every FHSAA member school in the state, public and private, including Lakewood Ranch High and all Manatee County programs.
The mandate covers incoming ninth-graders and any student in grades 10-12 participating in an FHSAA sport for the first time. It extends to tryouts, practices and workouts. The screening is a one-time requirement during a student's high school eligibility, and state guidelines cap school-based screenings at $50.
Named for a player who died on the field
The law honors Chance Gainer, an 18-year-old wide receiver and defensive back at Port St. Joe High School who collapsed during a Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, game and died later that night. The Florida Senate introduced the bill roughly six months after his death.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading medical cause of death among high school athletes, according to Who We Play For, which reports that 23,000 youth suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually in the U.S. The organization, which also provides $20 screenings to schools, says standard wellness checkups miss 96% of deadly heart conditions, while ECGs are approximately 95% effective at identifying hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
How it works
The resting ECG is painless and non-invasive, lasting about 10 minutes. Twelve electrodes with adhesive pads are placed on the chest, arms and legs to measure the heart's electrical activity. Athletes who received an ECG within two years before July 1 can use that result to satisfy the requirement.
If a screening produces abnormal results, written medical clearance is required before the athlete can participate. Parents may opt out only for religious reasons. Students must complete the FHSAA EL1 form verifying the screening or exemption before any participation.
Sarasota County schools already screening
Across Sarasota County, schools have organized screening events ahead of the fall season. Riverview High partnered with Who We Play For and hosted a county-wide screening on Tuesday, May 13, open to all Sarasota County students at $20 per person. The school offered additional screenings on Monday, July 14, ahead of its Monday, July 27, start to the 2026-27 athletic year.
"As a coach, I think it's a great thing, and more importantly, as a parent with a 5-year-old boy and a 4-month-old boy," Riverview High baseball coach Mark Sobolewski told Your Observer on Tuesday, July 15. "If there's something that can be detected that gives us a heads-up and prevents a tragedy, we want to be on top of that."
Sobolewski grew up playing in the former 12th Street Little League in Sarasota. At age 11, he knew someone who collapsed and died while running laps at the league.
Jacob Spenn, athletic director and football coach at Sarasota Christian School, said his school needs ECG paperwork from about 50 students for the coming year rather than the roughly 200 it would need if all athletes were required. Sarasota Christian had partnered with Who We Play For for three years before the law took effect. Parents will pay $20 going forward, and Spenn said there has been no real resistance from families.
What Lakewood Ranch families should know
Manatee County screening schedules have not yet been publicly announced. Families of incoming freshmen or first-time athletes at Lakewood Ranch High and other area schools should contact their athletic department directly for screening dates and EL1 form instructions. Who We Play For offers screenings at $20, compared to $150 or more through a doctor's office.
