Eager campers in the Sunshine State wait all year for the end of the school year, daydreaming about trips to parks with friends, swimming at a local beach, playing sports — all the activities that summer camp can bring.
But as climate change drives up global temperatures and brings record-breaking heat to Florida and the rest of the U.S., summers are becoming hotter, making it harder to stay outside for longer periods of time. As a result, camp directors have had to pivot to keep themselves and campers safe.
Summers have only gotten hotter since Jenn Sams Scott, the marketing and communications director for the Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab in Sarasota, began her role in 2019. “I don’t really remember us even having a [heat] protocol previously, because it wasn’t really an issue,” she said.
Scott isn’t imagining this: A recent analysis that looked at summer warming from the 1970s to 2025 found that most cities throughout the country have experienced more hotter-than-normal summer days over that period. Meanwhile, the average summer temperature in most Florida counties has ticked up at least two degrees over that period — in a few, by at least three degrees.
Last year was a preview of what to expect this summer. According to another analysis from Climate Central, 2025 was the fourth-hottest summer on record, and average temperatures were warmer in every U.S. county due to human-caused climate change. This year is going to be a scorcher, too: Most of the contiguous U.S. is expected to experience above-average temperatures, according to AccuWeather.
Recent intensifying heat has forced summer camps to adapt.
Fab Lab, where Scott works, created an official heat policy two years ago. During usual days, campers spend about 30 minutes outside at a time. But when the heat index — which is what a temperature feels like — is above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, campers have to stay indoors. “We encourage all campers before they’re going outside, and after they’re going outside, to have water, and we’re always watching for the signs of heat exhaustion,” Scott said. She added that if a member of staff or camper feels unwell, camp counselors will help cool them down and will also call their families.
There’s a good reason for summer camp organizers to be cautious and to alert parents if there are early signs of possible heat illness, which include muscle cramping, dizziness, headaches and heavy sweating. If ignored and untreated, those initial symptoms can progress to seizures, loss of consciousness and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Scott isn’t alone in feeling concerned; other summer programming workers have also been alarmed by the increasingly hot summers. Sarah Denison Williams, the community education manager at Big Waters Land Trust in Osprey, Florida, recalled how she didn’t have to think this much about extreme heat as a kid. “Just within my lifetime, I feel like the summers weren’t as hot as they are now when I was growing up attending outdoor summer camps in Florida,” she said.
Williams leads the camp’s Watershed Explorers Program, which includes taking teens to go explore local parks. The fact that all that exploring is done outside makes it harder to limit heat exposure, so educators have to constantly plan ahead in a variety of ways.
“I always make sure that every location we’re going to has shade or shelter available and we try to minimize the amount of time that we’re spending out of the shade,” Williams said. “We’ve always had some heat safety practices in place, but certainly it’s becoming more and more top of mind.”
Williams has advised participants to wear long-sleeve, light-weight clothing for maximum sun protection and to bring a hat and sunglasses everywhere. She also has unlimited ice water for participants and electrolyte drink mixes. There is always a van or building in which teens can cool down, and Williams prioritizes doing water-based activities like snorkeling as another means of regulating body temperature.
Over in Sarasota County, Andrea King, the therapeutic recreation and parks ADA coordinator for the region said that the camps she oversees have to keep the potentially high heat in mind when planning programming. “Obviously, we live in Southwest Florida and summertime is hot here, so we’re very cognizant [of the temperature] not just for the staff but for campers alike so we don’t do back-to-back activities outside,” she said.
Staffers at the camps are also trained to help prevent heat-induced illnesses, and everyone is encouraged to bring water bottles.
But the camps she oversees have also recently layered in a new protection in response to rising temperatures: Camp leaders have started bringing a tent for extra shade during beach trips.
“We really stress it in every capacity to our parents, to our campers, to our staff in every way we can, to be smart about how you feel outside,” King said.
Regardless of the challenges, the show — or the camp activities — will go on. For Scott, as with other leaders, they plan on having a fun summer with campers but with extra precautions added on.
“We believe that getting outside and moving your body is an important part of youth development,” Scott said. “So we’re gonna keep doing it, but we’re going to do it safely, of course.”
