The Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) has created the Florida Public Pool Specialist Certification, a 16-hour course that will debut next month.
The details of the certification, which will be valid for five years, are specific to the state of Florida, which has strict regulations for public pools, Aquatics International reports.
David Villandry, who chairs the FSPA’s Public Swimming Pool Council, told the magazine that other certifications are too broad for the state of Florida.
“The main feature of this course is that it’s actually Florida-specific,” Villandry said. “We felt this would be better suited to our membership. We are stricter than any other state in the U.S. as far as water quality.”
Regarding Florida’s specific public pool guidelines, Aquatics International reports:
It’s the only state in the nation that requires gravity drains on commercial pools. The state’s public pool rule, 64E-9, is exhaustively specific, detailing such things as the types of safety equipment that are acceptable. For example, only one-piece shepherd hooks are allowed, not the telescoping kind.
The FSPA will debut the new course Feb. 10-11 at the Everything Under the Sun Expo in Orlando, Fla.
