Door Alarms for Multifamily Residential Properties
This bill creates section 514.076, Florida Statutes, titled the “Multihousing Water Safety Act,” and requires certain multifamily residential properties to install and maintain door alarms on doors that open directly to a public pool, private pool, or public bathing place. Covered properties include apartment complexes, condominiums, townhouses, and similar multifamily residential properties with at least five dwelling units, and the requirement begins January 1, 2026.
The bill defines a door alarm as an audible device that sounds continuously when a door is opened or left ajar, with a minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB A at 10 feet. It also requires the property owner, principal owner, or manager to ensure the alarms are working at all times, to include alarm checks in annual building inspections, and to keep inspection documentation, including sworn affidavits, for at least five years. Door alarms must comply with the Florida Building Code, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is assigned enforcement authority, including cease-and-desist orders, corrective action, and administrative fines of up to $50 per day for noncompliance.
The bill would add a new safety compliance requirement for multifamily residential properties with pools or bathing areas, affecting owners, managers, condominium associations, apartment operators, and townhouse communities. It would create a new statutory duty to install, inspect, document, and maintain door alarms on qualifying doors, and it would give the Department of Business and Professional Regulation explicit enforcement authority over these requirements. The measure would also establish a new administrative penalty structure for violations and would effectively integrate door-alarm checks into existing annual building inspection practices.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a child-safety and drowning-prevention bill with a generally protective public-safety rationale. The legislative findings emphasize the risks posed by pools, ponds, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water on multifamily properties, suggesting a strong safety-oriented purpose. No contrary sentiment is documented in the provided context, but the bill’s compliance and enforcement requirements indicate it would likely be viewed as a regulatory burden by affected property owners and managers.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the cost and operational burden on multifamily property owners and managers, the scope of properties covered, and the enforcement mechanism. Owners and associations may object to the requirement to install alarms on every qualifying door, maintain them continuously, document annual inspections for five years, and face daily fines for noncompliance. Another possible issue is whether the bill’s title and findings align with its actual focus on pool-access door alarms, since the text emphasizes water safety rather than general building security. No specific opposition or support is recorded in the provided committee or voting history.