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Pool safety is a large concern in Jacksonville, as well as nationwide. Every year, thousands of children die from drowning and many drowning deaths occur in residential swimming pools. As such, it is important to understand the importance of pool safety and the legal requirements to implement it. Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act sets forth the requirements for pool barriers at residential pools.
A residential swimming pool barrier must have all the following requirements: the barrier must be at least 4 feet high on the outside; the barrier may not have any gaps or openings that could allow a young child to get through the barrier; the barrier must be placed around the perimeter of the pool and must be separate from any other enclosure surround the yard unless that enclosure is situated on the perimeter of the pool and is being used as part of the barrier, and; the barrier must be placed sufficiently away from the water’s edge to prevent a person from penetrating the barrier from immediately falling into the water. For safety barrier requirements regarding gates, ladders, above ground swimming pools or other information, see Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act.
The book entitled, The ABCs of Child Injury- Legal Rights of the Injured Child – What Every Parent Should Know is also a helpful resource for swimming safety. The book has a chapter specifically dedicated to Swimming and Injuries at Swimming Pools, Water Parks, and Other Water Ways.