It’s summertime but before you and your family head out to the pool, Fox 4 dug up some concerning information.
Florida's Department of Health ruled more than a hundred pools “unsatisfactory” in Lee County.
Since May 1st, more than 120 pools across the county are either unsafe or unsanitary. The locations include Fort Myers, Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers Beach. Many of them include community pools, resort and hotel pools.
The inspections reveal many pools are violating crucial health and safety codes. Several of the pools lack safety equipment and secured gates. Some of them even raise concern for algae control and water quality.
The Department of Health goes through a particular checklist to determine if a public pool is safe. There are nearly 50 items on the inspection sheet that a pool owner can violate, including the safety measures, water quality, sanitary facilities, and equipment. The Department of Health does the inspections twice a year.
They also check for pool cleanliness, overall appearance, proper lighting, and condition of the bathrooms.
They also look at things such as the ladders and swimming boards in the pool.
Everything on the checklist aims to protect you from getting sick or hurt.
Depending on the severity of the pool problem, owners have a few days or weeks to make required changes. If the problems are too severe or raise concern for safety, the Department of Health can close the pool down until it's deemed safe.
You can check whether your local pool passed inspection on the Florida Department of Health website.
