Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1788
By Senator Garcia
36-01431-25 20251788__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to door alarms for multifamily
3 residential properties; creating s. 514.076, F.S.;
4 providing a short title; providing legislative
5 findings; defining terms; requiring that certain
6 properties have door alarms installed and maintained
7 on certain doors beginning on a date certain;
8 specifying the person responsible for ensuring that
9 such door alarms are installed and maintained;
10 requiring that door alarms be inspected annually;
11 requiring that documentation of such inspection be
12 maintained for a minimum length of time; requiring
13 that door alarms be compliant with the Florida
14 Building Code; requiring the Department of Business
15 and Professional Regulation to enforce this act and
16 authorizing the department to take any enforcement
17 action as authorized by law; providing administrative
18 fines; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Section 514.076, Florida Statutes, is created to
23 read:
24 514.076 Multihousing Water Safety Act.—
25 (1) This section may be cited as the “Multihousing Water
26 Safety Act.”
27 (2) The Legislature finds that the safety and well-being of
28 residents in apartment complexes, condominiums, townhouses, and
29 similarly multifamily residential properties are of paramount
30 importance. The presence of swimming pools, retention ponds,
31 lakes, rivers, and other natural bodies of water on such
32 properties poses a significant risk to children and other
33 vulnerable populations.
34 (3) As used in this section, the term:
35 (a) “Apartment complex” means a building or group of
36 buildings on the same property, containing three or more
37 dwelling units.
38 (b) “Condominium” has the same meaning as in s. 718.103.
39 (c) “Door alarm” means a device that makes audible,
40 continuous alarm sounds with a minimum sound pressure rating of
41 85 dB A at 10 feet when the door on which it is installed is
42 opened or left ajar.
43 (d) “Multifamily residential property” means a residential
44 building or group of residential buildings, such as an
45 apartment, a townhouse, or a condominium, consisting of at least
46 five dwelling units on the same property.
47 (e) “Townhouse” has the same meaning as in s. 481.203.
48 (4) Beginning January 1, 2026, each apartment complex,
49 condominium, townhouse, and similar multifamily residential
50 property that has a public swimming pool, private pool, or
51 public bathing place on the property must have a door alarm
52 installed and maintained on each door that leads directly to the
53 public or private pool or public bathing place.
54 (5) The property owner, principal owner, or manager of an
55 apartment complex, a condominium, a townhouse, or a similar
56 multifamily residential property must ensure that door alarms
57 are installed and maintained in working condition at all times.
58 A door alarm inspection must be conducted as part of the
59 property’s annual building inspection in which similar safety
60 measures, such as fire alarms and fire sprinklers, are
61 inspected. The property owner, principal owner, or manager must
62 maintain documentation of such inspection, including sworn
63 affidavits, for at least 5 years.
64 (6) A door alarm must be compliant with the standards set
65 by the Florida Building Code.
66 (7) The Department of Business and Professional Regulation
67 is responsible for the enforcement of this section. The
68 department may take any enforcement action as authorized by law,
69 including, but not limited to, issuing cease and desist orders
70 and requiring corrective action.
71 (8) A property owner, principal owner, or manager of an
72 apartment complex, a condominium, a townhouse, or a similar
73 multifamily residential property who fails to comply with this
74 section is subject to an administrative fine not exceeding $50
75 per day of noncompliance.
76 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.