Florida Senate - 2026 SB 610 By Senator Smith 17-00177B-26 2026610__ Page 1 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1

An act relating to residential swimming pool 2 requirements; amending s. 515.27, F.S.; requiring that 3 swimming pools located on residential real property 4 that is transferred or sold on or after a specified 5 date meet certain pool safety requirements; requiring 6 a seller of such property to disclose whether the pool 7 meets such requirements before the transfer or sale; 8 requiring that pool barriers meet certain 9 requirements; providing construction; amending s. 10 515.29, F.S.; requiring that swimming pools located on 11 residential real property that is transferred or sold 12 on or after a specified date meet certain pool barrier 13 requirements; requiring a seller of such property to 14 disclose whether the pool meets such requirements 15 before the transfer or sale; providing construction; 16 amending s. 515.31, F.S.; conforming a cross-17 reference; making technical changes; providing an 18 effective date. 19 20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 21 22

Section

Section 515.27, Florida Statutes, is amended to 23 read: 24 515.27 Residential swimming pool safety feature options; 25 penalties.— 26

(1) In order to pass final inspection and receive a 27 certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool must meet 28 at least one of the following requirements relating to pool 29

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 610 17-00177B-26 2026610__ Page 2 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. safety features: 30 (

a) The pool must be isolated from access to a home by an 31 enclosure that meets the pool barrier requirements of s. 515.29; 32 (

b) The pool must be equipped with an approved safety pool 33 cover; 34 (

c) All doors and windows providing direct access from the 35 home to the pool must be equipped with an exit alarm that has a 36 minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB A at 10 feet; 37 (

d) All doors providing direct access from the home to the 38 pool must be equipped with a self-closing, self-latching device 39 with a release mechanism placed no lower than 54 inches above 40 the floor; or 41 (

e) A swimming pool alarm that, when placed in a pool, 42 sounds an alarm upon detection of an accidental or unauthorized 43 entrance into the water. Such pool alarm must meet and be 44 independently certified to ASTM Standard F2208, titled “Standard 45 Safety Specification for Residential Pool Alarms,” which 46 includes surface motion, pressure, sonar, laser, and infrared 47 alarms. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “swimming pool 48 alarm” does not include any swimming protection alarm device 49 designed for individual use, such as an alarm attached to a 50 child that sounds when the child exceeds a certain distance or 51 becomes submerged in water. 52

(2) A swimming pool, regardless of the year in which it was 53 built, located on residential real property that is transferred 54 or sold on or after October 1, 2026, must be equipped with at 55 least one pool safety feature as required in subsection (1). A 56 seller of such residential real property shall disclose to the 57 prospective buyer whether the pool is equipped with at least one 58

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 610 17-00177B-26 2026610__ Page 3 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. pool safety feature as required in subsection (1) before the 59 transfer or sale. If the pool safety feature is the pool 60 barrier, it must meet all of the requirements in s. 515.29. 61 (3)

(2) A person who fails to equip a new residential 62 swimming pool with at least one pool safety feature as required 63 in subsection (1) or subsection (2) commits a misdemeanor of the 64 second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 65 775.083, except that no penalty shall be imposed if the person, 66 within 45 days after arrest or issuance of a summons or a notice 67 to appear, has equipped the pool with at least one safety 68 feature as required in subsection (1) or subsection (2) and has 69 attended a drowning prevention education program established by 70 s. 515.31.

However, the requirement of attending a drowning 71 prevention education program is waived if such program is not 72 offered within 45 days after issuance of the citation. 73

(4) This

section may not be construed to prevent a local 74 government from imposing additional reporting requirements to 75 those specified in this section. 76

Section 2. Subsections (6) and (7) are added to

section 77 515.29, Florida Statutes, and subsection (1) of that

section is 78 republished, to read: 79 515.29 Residential swimming pool barrier requirements.— 80

(1) A residential swimming pool barrier must have all of 81 the following characteristics: 82 (

a) The barrier must be at least 4 feet high on the 83 outside. 84 (

b) The barrier may not have any gaps, openings, 85 indentations, protrusions, or structural components that could 86 allow a young child to crawl under, squeeze through, or climb 87

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 610 17-00177B-26 2026610__ Page 4 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. over the barrier. 88 (

c) The barrier must be placed around the perimeter of the 89 pool and must be separate from any fence, wall, or other 90 enclosure surrounding the yard unless the fence, wall, or other 91 enclosure or portion thereof is situated on the perimeter of the 92 pool, is being used as part of the barrier, and meets the 93 barrier requirements of this section. 94 (

d) The barrier must be placed sufficiently away from the 95 water’s edge to prevent a young child or medically frail elderly 96 person who may have managed to penetrate the barrier from 97 immediately falling into the water. 98

(6) A swimming pool, regardless of the year in which it was 99 built, located on residential real property that is transferred 100 or sold on or after October 1, 2026, must meet all of the pool 101 barrier requirements in subsection (1). A seller of such 102 residential real property shall disclose to the prospective 103 buyer whether the pool meets all of the pool barrier 104 requirements in subsection (1) before the transfer or sale. 105

(7) This

section may not be construed to prevent a local 106 government from imposing additional reporting requirements to 107 those specified in this section. 108

Section 3. Subsection (1) of

section 515.31, Florida 109 Statutes, is amended to read: 110 515.31 Drowning prevention education program; public 111 information publication.— 112

(1) The department shall develop a drowning prevention 113 education program. Such program must, which shall be made 114 available to the public at the state and local levels and is 115 which shall be required as set forth in s. 515.27(3) s. 116

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 610 17-00177B-26 2026610__ Page 5 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 515.27(2) for persons in violation of the pool safety 117 requirements of this chapter. The department may charge a fee, 118 not to exceed $100, for attendance at such a program. The 119 drowning prevention education program shall be funded using fee 120 proceeds, state funds appropriated for such purpose, and grants. 121 The department, in lieu of developing its own program, may adopt 122 a nationally recognized drowning prevention education program to 123 be approved for use in local safety education programs, as 124 provided in rule of the department. 125

Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 126