Ryan Nicol
Democratic Rep. Matt Willhite has joined Republican Sen. Ed Hooper to require additional safety measures for home pools. The push was spurred on by a two-year-old boy’s tragic drowning death.
The “Kacen’s Cause Act” is named after Kacen Howard, who died in 2017. One Day before Kacen’s third birthday, he opened a sliding glass door while an adult wasn’t looking. After getting through a defective fence meant to protect the pool area, Kacen fell into the water and drowned.
Kacen’s death has led his parents to advocate for stronger safety laws. State law requires home pools to have at least one safety measure present. That could include a pool cover, a fence surrounding the pool, devices which prevent access to doors leading to the pool, or alarms to signal when a child has accessed the pool area.
The legislation from Hooper and Willhite would mandate that two of those safety measures be present, rather than one. It also increases the minimum standards for pool barriers and pool covers, while also requiring home inspectors to report back on those safety features.
Hooper has backed similar measures in the past alongside former Democratic Rep. Jennifer Webb. After Hooper again filed a new version in December (SB 124), Willhite joined with a companion measure Tuesday (HB 703).
“To all parents, including myself, the thought of losing a child is our worst nightmare,” Willhite said.
“Yet, because of my job as a firefighter, I have bore direct witness to this pain. No parent should ever have to lose a child. If there are any steps we can take to protect our children and make sure no parent has to lose a child because of a preventable accident, it is our responsibility to take those steps. I’m proud to work alongside Sen. Hooper on this life-saving legislation.”
The legislation hasn’t gotten out of the committee process in the past. Hooper and Willhite are hoping to change that this Session.
“I am proud to continue to fight for the safety of Florida’s children and sponsor The Kacen’s Cause Act for the 2021 legislative session,” Hooper said.
“It can take only seconds for a child to get into a pool and suffer extreme injury or death. I am honored to be joined by my friend Rep. Matt Willhite in the effort to add an additional safety measure to swimming pools to help prevent child drownings.”
