Florida law is written to prevent pool tragedies like these: Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515, Florida Statutes) requires new residential pools to include an approved safety feature — barriers among them — precisely because unsupervised access kills children. Many pools at apartment complexes, HOAs, and hotels are regulated as public swimming pools under Chapter 514, with separate regulatory duties. Owners and operators who ignore those safeguards — broken gates, missing fences, propped-open doors — can be held liable when a child is hurt or lost. Silva & Silva’s trial attorneys handle drowning and near-drowning litigation across Broward County. The consultation is free, in English or Spanish.

Swimming Pool Negligence Lawyers

in Hollywood, FL

Swimming Pool Negligence Attorneys
Serving Hollywood, FL

Pool owners — whether private homeowners, apartment complexes, HOAs, hotels, or municipalities — owe a non-delegable duty to maintain their pools in a safe condition. Florida’s pool safety statutes impose specific requirements for barriers, drain covers, alarms, and signage. When those requirements are violated and someone is seriously injured, Silva & Silva’s swimming pool negligence attorneys throughout Broward County and South Florida are prepared to investigate, document the violation, and pursue every responsible party. Call us today for a free, confidential consultation. If a pool drowning, near-drowning, or pool deck accident at a Hollywood hotel, resort, or residential complex caused serious harm, Silva & Silva is ready to help.

Drowning & near-drowning brain injury claims
Slip and fall accidents at pools & pool decks
Diving board & pool equipment injuries
Drain entrapment & suction entrapment accidents
Inadequate fencing & pool barrier violations
Child drowning & inadequate supervision claims
Hotel, resort & apartment complex pool accidents
Defective pool equipment & chemical injuries

Immediate Case Evaluation

Pool cases turn on physical evidence that changes fast — gates get fixed, signs go up, fences appear overnight. That is why it matters to document the Hollywood property as close to its accident-day condition as possible: under Florida’s pool-safety laws, a claim can turn on which safety features were in place, and working, that day.

Who Is Liable for a Swimming Pool Accident in Hollywood?

Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515, Florida Statutes) requires a new residential pool to include at least one approved safety feature to pass final inspection, because the law treats unsupervised pool access as a known, preventable danger. A barrier is one of those options, and it must meet all of the detailed requirements of section 515.29 — among them a height of at least four feet and gates that open outward and are self-closing and self-latching. Property owners who fail those requirements, and businesses that fail to maintain safe premises for guests, can be held liable for drownings and near-drownings. Florida’s attractive-nuisance doctrine may extend a property owner’s liability to a trespassing child, depending on the facts and on whether every element of the doctrine is met — among them, that the owner knew or should have known children were likely to trespass, that the condition posed an unreasonable risk of death or serious harm, and that the child, because of youth, did not discover the condition or realize the risk. Public and community pools carry their own regulatory duties. Claims arising in Hollywood, when properly venued in Broward County, are generally filed in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Injury lawsuits over $50,000 with Broward County venue are heard at the Broward County Central Courthouse, 201 S.E. 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale; claims that qualify for federal jurisdiction may proceed in the Southern District of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Division.

How Long Does a Family Have to File a Pool Accident Claim in Florida?

Negligence claims accruing after March 24, 2023 generally must be filed within two years (section 95.11(5)(a), Florida Statutes). A wrongful-death claim runs two years from the date of death and is brought by the decedent’s personal representative on behalf of the survivors — Florida law does not allow family members to file separately. Injury claims for a surviving child involve their future care needs, which demands early, careful case development.

What Should Families Do After a Pool Accident in Hollywood?

Emergency care comes first. Serious injuries in Hollywood are typically routed to Memorial Regional Hospital on Johnson Street — the city’s own Level I trauma center. As soon as the family is able, preserve the scene: photograph the pool area, the gate and latch condition, any missing barriers or warning signs, and get names of witnesses and complex or hotel staff. Request that the property preserve all surveillance video in writing. Do not give recorded statements to the property’s insurance carrier before speaking with an attorney. Silva & Silva meets with families at no cost, in English or Spanish, and explains every legal option — including how Florida’s pool-safety statutes apply to your case.

If your family is facing a drowning or near-drowning in Hollywood, you deserve answers about what happened and whether a safety failure played a role. Call Silva & Silva at 305-445-0011 for a free, compassionate consultation — no fees unless we recover for your family.

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