Overview
- Mayor Bryan Calvo ordered McDonald, Milander and Babcock pools closed Tuesday and kept Bucky Dent Water Park offline while an independent expert assesses conditions and operations.
- A Florida Department of Health inspection dated Aug. 5 documented multiple violations at Bucky Dent, including pH readings as high as 10 and repeated failures to meet required water-chemistry standards.
- Bucky Dent had reopened July 31 after renovations but closed days later when an 80-year-old man suffered a medical emergency in the water, which prompted the state probe.
- The city says most required permits were issued and that one was delayed by a form error, while inspectors found maintenance logs filled out but chemistry readings that did not meet regulations, indicating monitoring or operational breakdowns.
- Calvo has requested $5 million to renovate aquatic facilities and said the independent review will recommend corrective actions and reopening conditions that residents want publicly documented before they return.