On April 25, 2015, a 20-month-old toddler tragically drowned in an inflatable pool in Ocala, Florida. Media reports claim that the toddler’s mother found him floating face down in the water, on his side. The risk of drowning is a real danger as children can drown in just one to two inches of water, according to the Florida Department of Health in Marion County, Florida. Also according to Florida’s Department of Health, drownings are the number one ranked “unintentional injury cause of death” for children ranging from the ages of one to four.

In Florida, the local building code requires that swimming pools constructed after October 1, 2000 be fitted with at least one “approved safety measure.” Florida’s administrative regulations also place the responsibility for the supervision and safety of any public swimming pools and bathing places on “[a]ll owners, manager, lifeguards or swimming instructors in charge of, or working at, public swimming pools.” However and according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, temporary or small, inflatable pools are not subject to the local building code requirements.

Supervision and compliance with pool rules and regulations are key to fostering pool safety and should not be ignored. Our condolences to the family of the child who lost his life.

Additional resources:

Maritime Liens & Vessel Arrests – Getting Paid for Your Work!

https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=64E-9.008&Section=0