Florida will soon become the first state in the nation to require heart screenings for students playing a high school sport for the first time under a new law taking effect July 1.

The annual Surfing Santas event in Cocoa Beach brought more than holiday cheer to thousands of attendees this year — it also carried a life-saving mission.

The Access to AEDs Act is getting more attention, five years after the Brevard County nonprofit, Who We Play For, began pushing to get it signed into law.

A local Merritt Island organization is stressing the importance of EKG screenings to prevent cardiac arrest or death in light of Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin's collapse.

School districts across Central Florida are now requiring student-athletes to get an electrocardiogram and a physical before they can take to the field or the court.

School leaders in both Orange and Volusia counties on Tuesday voted to require heart screenings for high school student-athletes who plan to play sports during the upcoming academic year.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Brevard County nonprofit organization Who We Play For is doing its part one heart screening at a time, helping save lives like that of now 15-year-old Gavin Idone of Cocoa Beach. “Patients with Wolff Parkinson White as they age are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Ernst said it’s not just about offering heart screenings, but advocacy. In September 2019, their efforts helped pass a mandatory heart screening policy across Brevard County Public Schools and they’re now asking Florida state legislators to have it done in the entire state. Its Now or Never campaign hopes to raise $1 million to support legislature efforts so all 67 counties in Florida will include heart screening for young athletes in schools.