COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Florida will soon require heart screenings for first-time high school athletes before they can participate in sports.
The new requirement takes effect July 1 under the Second Chance Act.
The law requires students participating in high school sports for the first time to receive an ECG heart screening and be cleared before their first tryout, conditioning session, workout, practice or other athletic activity of the 2026-27 school year.
That includes athletic activities held during summer break.
The Space Coast nonprofit Who We Play For helped champion the new law.
The nonprofit was founded after 15-year-old Rafe Maccarone died from sudden cardiac arrest on the Cocoa Beach High School soccer field on Nov. 30, 2007.
Rafe’s friends and family created Who We Play For to help identify hidden heart conditions in young athletes.
The organization said it has conducted more than 600,000 free and low-cost heart screenings across the country.
On Tuesday, the nonprofit’s founders will return to Cocoa Beach High School for a ceremony at the soccer field where Rafe died.
The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Cocoa Beach High School.
Organizers said the ceremony will honor Tim Cool, the now-retired Cocoa Beach High School principal who helped guide the school community through the tragedy.
The event will also highlight what parents need to know before the new heart screening requirement begins.
Who We Play For said ECG screenings are quick, painless and noninvasive.
Screenings may be available through a student’s doctor, school or community events.
The nonprofit has two upcoming heart screening events planned on the Space Coast.
One event will be held June 6 at Viera High School in Melbourne in partnership with 3D Sports Medicine. The cost is $20, and financial assistance is available through the state’s heart screening grant program.
Another event will be held June 26 at Health First Medical Group’s NASA Boulevard office in Melbourne in partnership with Health First. That screening event is free, with donations appreciated.
Families can register in advance through Who We Play For.
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