Residential Swimming Pool Requirements:
HB 93 would expand Florida’s residential swimming pool safety rules to apply not only to newly built pools, but also to existing pools on residential property that is sold or transferred on or after October 1, 2025. For those transactions, the pool would have to meet at least one approved safety feature requirement, such as a compliant barrier, safety cover, door/window alarms, self-closing/self-latching doors, or an approved pool alarm. The bill also requires title companies, inspectors, and mortgage underwriters to report violations of the new transaction-based safety requirements to local law enforcement.
The bill also adds a new requirement that pools on transferred or sold residential property must comply with all residential pool barrier standards in section 515.29, including minimum height and design standards intended to prevent child access. It makes conforming and technical changes to the existing drowning prevention education law, including updating the cross-reference so that people cited for violations can still avoid penalty by correcting the violation and completing the required education program within the specified time period. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
HB 93 would significantly broaden the reach of Florida’s pool safety statutes by extending compliance obligations to existing residential pools whenever the property is sold or transferred, rather than limiting the rules primarily to new construction. It would also create a reporting duty for title companies, inspectors, and mortgage underwriters, and it would expose noncompliant parties to second-degree misdemeanor penalties unless the violation is corrected and the education requirement is satisfied. The bill would amend sections 515.27, 515.29, and 515.31 of the Florida Statutes, affecting homeowners, real estate transaction participants, pool inspectors, and local law enforcement.
The available record shows little formal debate or recorded voting activity, and the bill ultimately died in the Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee. Based on the text, the measure appears to be framed as a child safety and drowning prevention bill, with a public-safety-oriented purpose rather than a regulatory rollback or tax measure. The absence of committee transcripts or votes suggests there is no documented floor-level controversy in the provided materials, but the bill’s failure to advance indicates it did not secure enough support in committee.
The main likely point of contention is the bill’s expansion of liability and compliance obligations to existing pools at the time of sale or transfer, which could impose new costs on homeowners and burdens on real estate transaction professionals. The mandatory reporting requirement for title companies, inspectors, and mortgage underwriters may also be viewed as a significant enforcement expansion. Supporters would likely emphasize drowning prevention, child safety, and stronger barrier standards, while opponents may focus on transaction friction, retrofit costs, and the practical burden of enforcing pool safety through the real estate market.