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Tue 28th May | 2019

Florida Pool Safety & Homeowner Liability

Safety Tips BY

It’s no doubt that swimming is one of the most popular summertime activities in South Florida. Everyone knows that swimming comes with the danger of drowning, but swimming pools also present liability concerns for homeowners who fail to meet the required safety measures for Florida swimming pools.

Florida Swimming Pool Laws

States and cities have specific laws for constructing and maintaining swimming pools. These laws often require homeowners to have special covers for the pool or locked gates around the swimming pool area. Failing to follow such laws can make it easier to prove liability in a personal injury case.

Floridians must choose at least one of four safety measures when they install a pool, spa or hot tub.

  1. A barrier that isolates the pool from the home, like a fence or wall. The barrier must prevent access to the swimming pool from the residence or yard and be a minimum of four feet high.
  2. A pool cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials.
  3. Exit alarms on all doors and windows that have access to the pool.
  4. A self-closing, self-latching device on all doors and gates that provide direct access to the pool.

Swimming Pool Accidents and Drownings

2017 report by the USA Swimming Foundation named Florida the leader for children drownings. Eighty percent of the swimming pool accidents in 2017 involved children under the age of five with a total of 51 fatal child drownings.

The following things can help prevent accidents in your pool this summer:

  • Always keep young swimmers within arms reach
  • Keep a first-aid-kit, telephone, and safety gear near the pool for emergency situations
  • Enroll your children in swim lessons
  • Never leave a small child unattended near a swimming pool
  • Install self-closing or self-latching gates on entrances to your pool
  • Enroll in a CPR or other kind of rescue / pool-safety training course so you are prepared to react in the case of an emergency
  • Fix any flat, broken, or missing drain covers in your pool immediately
  • Check all of the chemical levels, circulation, and filtration systems before getting into your pool
  • Implement no running rules to prevent slip and falls into the pool
  • Understand that no child is ever water safe, regardless of their training or swimming experience level.

Do you have questions about homeowner liability or recovering compensation for a swimming pool accident, injury or death? Call 561-899-2100 to set up your free consultation with our lawyers in West Palm Beach.