I have the honor of serving as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and I’ve had a successful and fulfilling career as a gang and homicide prosecutor, but the most important title I will ever hold is being called “dad” by my two sons. It is the privilege of my life to be able to raise them to be kind, courageous and most importantly, to know that I will always love, support and protect them.
When I took the helm of the Florida House back in 2020, the cyclical issues affecting our families and society became increasingly apparent to me. It didn’t take long to find the root cause of so many of the negative outcomes our young boys are faced with today: the lack of a present father.
For some dads, it’s the demands of a heavy work schedule that prevent them from being engaged with their kids. For others, it can be divorce and separation of their family, generational poverty or never having a father figure present in their own lives.
The fact is, one in four children live without a father figure in their home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, an nearly every negative outcome plaguing so many of today’s youth has been linked to their lack of a present and intentional father. Studies conducted by the National Fatherhood Initiative have shown that when children are raised in father-absent homes, they have a four-times greater risk of living in poverty and are twice as likely to drop out of high school. Six in 10 youth suicides come from fatherless homes.
In stark contrast, children who have relationships with their fathers are known to have critical positive outcomes in education, socioeconomic and development and future success. Children who have an involved father are twice as likely to go to college and 80 percent less likely to spend time in jail.
While we know that data cannot tell the entire story, the connections cannot be ignored, and we have a responsibility to stand up, speak out and intercede on behalf of the struggling children who need our leadership. The sooner we can face these facts and have fathers engaged in the lives of their children, the sooner we can close the gap and help our kids reach their full potential.
I first drew the legislature’s attention to the fatherhood crisis during my designation speech back in 2019. This legislative session, I am proud to support a bill moving through the Florida House that makes significant and historic investments, to the tune of nearly $70 million, that addresses the lack of involved fathers and resulting at-risk youth through several initiatives. In partnership with my trusted friend, Representative Thad Altman, HB 7065 establishes programs to address the needs of fathers and awards grants to organizations that help struggling single fathers to become self-sufficient and meet their child support obligations. Also, the legislation, helps at-risk boys through several provisions, including by offering grants to nonprofits involved in mentoring and investing in neighborhood-specific children’s initiatives.
We cannot legislate fatherhood, responsibility or character. We can, however, partner with communities and organizations to support and provide resources to fathers and male role models in our communities to help them step up and meet the needs of children. And we cannot do it alone. It requires community partners and organizations that do the work of encouraging dads to build meaningful relationships with their kids. It takes active mentoring programs, particularly for young boys who don’t have fathers in their lives, to step up and stand in as the strong male role models they need.
What we are striving for in Florida is only the beginning. If we want to see a generation of men rise up to be leaders in their households, giving their children the love, support and stability that they deserve, it will require investments in every state and every community in our nation.
Every child in American deserves a present father, and every state legislature has the power to follow our lead and invest in initiatives that make that dream a real possibility. If we unite in this collective effort, we will be the generation to break the cycle and rebuild the foundation of strong American families.
Chris Sprowls is the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He resides in Palm Harbor, Florida.