July 7, 2022 – AQUAfin Swim School, Northeast Florida’s premier swim school led by two-time Olympian Nim Shapira, is proud to announce the opening of its first franchise location in Orange City, set to open next month. The new, state-of-the-art facility at 820 Commed Boulevard, Orange City, FL 32763 will expand AQUAfin’s reach further south in the Sunshine State, providing swim lessons and water safety instruction for children as young as two months old.

Following a record-breaking year for child drowning deaths in Florida in 2021, Shapira made the strategic decision to franchise in order to broaden the school’s life-saving mission across the state.

“We’re excited to expand into franchising after nearly a decade in business and continue sharing our swim knowledge and experience across Florida,” said Shapira. “We’re extremely proud to have Rodion as our first franchisee. As a former Olympian himself, his experience and dedication to safety give us full confidence that he will bring exceptional swim instruction and water safety to the Orange City community.”

The Orange City location will be owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Rodion and Cassidy Davelaar. Rodion, who competed in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics, met Shapira in 2006 while they were both swimmers at The Bolles School in Jacksonville. That early connection has since evolved into a shared commitment to making swimming safer for children and families.

Davelaar was drawn to AQUAfin’s mission because it mirrors his own. “As an Olympic swimmer and with my wife being a pediatrician, we both understand the importance of prevention. The best way to prevent a swim-related tragedy is to enroll children in lessons early,” said Davelaar. “The joy I experienced teaching my two children to swim showed me how powerful this can be for families. I knew I wanted to help others do the same.”

AQUAfin currently employs more than 70 team members and serves thousands of families at its corporate-owned locations in Mandarin, Town Center, and St. Augustine. With over 15 franchise opportunities in the pipeline, AQUAfin continues to grow its mission of building safer communities through swim education — one school at a time.

To learn more about franchising with AQUAfin Swim School, visit: aquafinswimschool.com/franchise.