Original reporting: Karley Haggerty
Florida’s heat can be more than uncomfortable for young athletes; it can be dangerous. Hillsborough County is taking steps to help reduce that risk.
A new heat-safety technology is now in a pilot program at the Skyway Sports Complex to help protect young athletes.
The technology behind this is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) Meter. The goal is to protect park-goers and athletes from heat stroke and other heat-related injuries.
The device measures outside factors such as temperature, humidity, cloud cover and wind speed. This technology helps to calculate the actual physiological heat stress on the human body, rather than measuring the air temperature.
According to Hillsborough County, 14 county parks and athletic sites use WBGT meters to monitor heat stress. At Skyway Sports Complex, staff take readings every hour when temperatures exceed 85 degrees. An additional 12 partner locations use the meters and follow the same heat-safety protocols.
The community relations coordinator for Hillsborough County Parks, Micah Collins, said that unlike the temperature on your phone, this device measures the health stress on a person’s body.
“At the end of the day, our message is simple: all athletes regardless of age, deserve the same level of protection,” Collins said.
When taking into account all the factors and measures, if the meter displays a number higher than 92.1 degrees, the field or park is shut down until the device shows a safer reading.
For many parents, like Charlie Jackson, this new technology is a step toward making youth sports safer.
“I’m glad the county has put a lighter-colored material on the surface, which allows lower temperatures on the playing surface,” Jackson said. “I hope that we move more in that direction.”
The surface that athletes play on can also affect their exposure to the heat, making field conditions another consideration when evaluating safety.
The county hopes to end the pilot program in 2027, putting these heat meters at every Hillsborough park, to protect athletes playing on the fields as well as park-goers.
For now, the goal is to help athletes stay safe while they play through the Florida heat.