Florida SB 610: COVID-19-related Claims

Bill Text

610 
Residential Swimming Pool Requirements 
2025-11-20T03:24:02Z 
Requiring that swimming pools located on residential real property that is transferred or sold on or after a specified date meet certain pool safety requirements; requiring that swimming pools located on residential real property that is transferred or sold on or after a specified date meet certain pool barrier requirements, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 610 

 By Senator Smith 

 17-00177B-26 2026610__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to residential swimming pool 
 3 requirements; amending s. 515.27, F.S.; requiring that 
 4 swimming pools located on residential real property 
 5 that is transferred or sold on or after a specified 
 6 date meet certain pool safety requirements; requiring 
 7 a seller of such property to disclose whether the pool 
 8 meets such requirements before the transfer or sale; 
 9 requiring that pool barriers meet certain 
 10 requirements; providing construction; amending s. 
 11 515.29, F.S.; requiring that swimming pools located on 
 12 residential real property that is transferred or sold 
 13 on or after a specified date meet certain pool barrier 
 14 requirements; requiring a seller of such property to 
 15 disclose whether the pool meets such requirements 
 16 before the transfer or sale; providing construction; 
 17 amending s. 515.31, F.S.; conforming a cross 
 18 reference; making technical changes; providing an 
 19 effective date. 
 20 
 21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 22 
 23 Section 1. Section 515.27, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
 24 read: 
 25 515.27 Residential swimming pool safety feature options; 
 26 penalties.— 
 27 (1) In order to pass final inspection and receive a 
 28 certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool must meet 
 29 at least one of the following requirements relating to pool 
 30 safety features: 
 31 (a) The pool must be isolated from access to a home by an 
 32 enclosure that meets the pool barrier requirements of s. 515.29; 
 33 (b) The pool must be equipped with an approved safety pool 
 34 cover; 
 35 (c) All doors and windows providing direct access from the 
 36 home to the pool must be equipped with an exit alarm that has a 
 37 minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB A at 10 feet; 
 38 (d) All doors providing direct access from the home to the 
 39 pool must be equipped with a self-closing, self-latching device 
 40 with a release mechanism placed no lower than 54 inches above 
 41 the floor; or 
 42 (e) A swimming pool alarm that, when placed in a pool, 
 43 sounds an alarm upon detection of an accidental or unauthorized 
 44 entrance into the water. Such pool alarm must meet and be 
 45 independently certified to ASTM Standard F2208, titled “Standard 
 46 Safety Specification for Residential Pool Alarms,” which 
 47 includes surface motion, pressure, sonar, laser, and infrared 
 48 alarms. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “swimming pool 
 49 alarm” does not include any swimming protection alarm device 
 50 designed for individual use, such as an alarm attached to a 
 51 child that sounds when the child exceeds a certain distance or 
 52 becomes submerged in water. 
 53 (2) A swimming pool, regardless of the year in which it was 
 54 built, located on residential real property that is transferred 
 55 or sold on or after October 1, 2026, must be equipped with at 
 56 least one pool safety feature as required in subsection (1). A 
 57 seller of such residential real property shall disclose to the 
 58 prospective buyer whether the pool is equipped with at least one 
 59 pool safety feature as required in subsection (1) before the 
 60 transfer or sale. If the pool safety feature is the pool 
 61 barrier, it must meet all of the requirements in s. 515.29. 
 62 (3)(2) A person who fails to equip a new residential 
 63 swimming pool with at least one pool safety feature as required 
 64 in subsection (1) or subsection (2) commits a misdemeanor of the 
 65 second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 
 66 775.083, except that no penalty shall be imposed if the person, 
 67 within 45 days after arrest or issuance of a summons or a notice 
 68 to appear, has equipped the pool with at least one safety 
 69 feature as required in subsection (1) or subsection (2) and has 
 70 attended a drowning prevention education program established by 
 71 s. 515.31. However, the requirement of attending a drowning 
 72 prevention education program is waived if such program is not 
 73 offered within 45 days after issuance of the citation. 
 74 (4) This section may not be construed to prevent a local 
 75 government from imposing additional reporting requirements to 
 76 those specified in this section. 
 77 Section 2. Subsections (6) and (7) are added to section 
 78 515.29, Florida Statutes, and subsection (1) of that section is 
 79 rep