HB 79 Florida House · 2026 Regular Session

Water Safety Requirements for the Rental of Residential Property

Summary

Water Safety Requirements for the Rental of Residential Property; Requires vacation rental licensee to equip certain rental units with specified water safety features; provides for civil liability; provides exception.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Oct 2, 2025 Last action Mar 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

H 79 Filed → H 79 c1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift its focus from general residential landlords to specific vacation rental licensees. The requirements now mandate safety features like exit alarms or self-closing doors for rentals near water, replacing the previous criminal penalties with a system of civil liability for guests. The scope was narrowed to apply only to licensed vacation rentals, and the definition of a 'water body' was clarified to require a minimum depth of 24 inches.

Scope change

The bill's applicability changed from all residential landlords to only those licensed as vacation rentals.

ELIGIBILITY

The bill now applies only to public lodging establishments licensed as vacation rentals, rather than all residential landlords.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate exit alarms (85 dB) or self-closing doors with specific latch heights for units near water bodies or pools.

Removed the requirement that landlords ensure safety features are present at all times when the unit is rented.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties changed from criminal misdemeanor charges to civil liability where licensees must pay guests' actual damages for violations.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'swimming pool', 'vacation rental', and 'water body' (defined as water at least 24 inches deep).

TIMELINE

The effective date was moved from July 1, 2026, to the end of the act.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Now in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee

lower

Jan 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to Judiciary Committee

lower

Jan 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported out of Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with CS by Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Added to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee agenda

lower

Oct 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Now in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee

lower

Oct 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Judiciary Committee

lower

Oct 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee

lower

Oct 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee

lower

2 primary · 1 co-sponsor