State closes Hialeah park pools after finding no chlorine, broken equipment, no permits

The Florida Department of Health shut down all three pools at Hialeah’s Bucky Dent Water Park after inspectors found dozens of health, safety and operational violations, including a pool with no chlorine, another with a pH level far above the state limit, broken safety equipment and a pool drain cover with missing screws that posed an entrapment risk.

State inspectors also determined the city was operating the pools without valid operating permits, a major setback for Hialeah just days after Mayor Bryan Calvo celebrated the reopening of the aquatic facility following more than a year of construction.

The Aug. 5 inspections, prompted by two complaints filed with the Health Department after an emergency at the park, found violations involving water chemistry, filtration and pump equipment, pool ladders, safety equipment, required signage, construction work and operating permits.

One anonymous complainant told the department that an elderly man had nearly drowned in the pool and was taken to a hospital. The complainant described the pool as being in “terrible condition,” questioned how the facility had been allowed to reopen, and said it was overcrowded.

A second complaint asked the Department of Health to investigate what the person described as “unsafe conditions and possible health code violations.”

The Department of Health deemed both complaints valid following the inspections, which documented a broad set of violations across all three pools. In total, inspectors found 34 violations.

‘Oversight filling out a form’

After the Miami Herald reported that the pools had been closed because they were operating without the required permits, the city issued a statement saying it had “conducted rigorous inspection of the pools prior to opening and all required city permits were issued.”

“Due to an oversight filling out a form, the health department permit is still pending approval,” the city said.

The Health Department’s inspection reports, however, identify the lack of operating permits as a violation at each of the three Bucky Dent pools. Each report states that the pool’s permit had expired and cites the state requirement that “it is unlawful for any person or public body to operate or continue to operate any public swimming pool without a valid permit.”

Miami-Dade County Commissioner René García, whose district includes Hialeah, criticized the city’s explanation Monday in a letter to Calvo and members of the city council. García said the Health Department’s findings went beyond “an oversight in filling out a form,” pointing to the violations involving water quality, filtration and circulation systems, safety equipment, pool infrastructure, permitting and equipment modifications.

“It is irresponsible for this administration to open this pool, or any facility, prior to ensuring that all health and safety regulations have been met, and all necessary permits obtained,” García said in the letter. “The residents of Hialeah deserve complete transparency regarding those findings.”

García called on the city council to exercise greater oversight.

“Although the Mayor serves as the City of Hialeah’s chief administrator, I urge the members of the Hialeah City Council to exercise their oversight responsibility and ensure that appropriate corrective action is taken immediately,” he wrote.

The Herald requested comment from the mayor, the chief of staff and the city spokesperson but did not receive a response.

Oversight and permits

State records also raise questions about who was responsible for communicating with the Health Department about the pools. A former city employee who left Hialeah in January is still listed as the city’s point of contact with the state Department of Health for aquatic facilities.

The permit issue was only one the problems inspectors documented.

At the activity pool, inspectors found no chlorine in the pool water, a high pH level and insufficient water flow. Park staff told inspectors that the pool had recently undergone a resurfacing project. There were no records showing that the Department of Health had been notified of the completed work or that a required inspection had been requested.

Inspectors reviewed the facility’s maintenance logs and found that entries were made consistently and regularly. However, the water-chemistry readings recorded in the logs were not in compliance on the days documented.

At the main pool, inspectors found loose ladders and steps missing required anti-slip covers, a loose step on one of the ladders, a missing second life hook, a high pH level and low oxidation-reduction potential, low water levels and insufficient water flow. Inspectors also found that the water-recirculation equipment had been modified from the approved design and that gutter grates were broken or missing.

Entrapment risk

At the Plunge Pool inspectors said they found excessive dirt and debris in the water, missing escutcheon plates on handrails, an unsecured main drain cover, a broken water-level device, a leaking filter and a flow meter that was stuck and could not measure water flow. The water-recirculation equipment had also been modified from the approved design.

Inspectors also found that screws were missing from the main drain cover, violating state anti-entrapment requirements for suction outlets.

Park staff told inspectors that the water-recirculation equipment had recently been changed and that the pool filter was malfunctioning and leaking. Inspectors confirmed that the filter was inoperable and leaking excessively, a condition marked as requiring the pool to close.

80-year-old man rescued

The state inspection came one day after an 80-year-old man suffered a medical emergency in the park’s main pool and was rescued from the water.

According to the Health Department’s inspection report, the man suffered the emergency near the 4-foot, 3-inch depth marker on the west side of the pool. The report states that lifeguards responded immediately and that the man was taken to a hospital by paramedics.

City staff told inspectors that lifeguards were present and that their certifications were current.

But witnesses, park employees and Kevin Palmer, the man who helped rescue the swimmer, gave the Herald a different account of the initial response.

Palmer, a 33-year-old eighth-grade algebra teacher and former U.S. Army sergeant, was in one of the pools at on Aug. 4 when he heard other swimmers alerting a lifeguard that a man had been underwater for an extended period.

“I took it upon myself to check on the man because everybody spread away,” Palmer said.

He added that his military experience and training with a former Air Force pararescue instructor who specialized in rescuing and recovering people in dangerous conditions prepared him.

Palmer said he brought the swimmer to the surface and helped move him toward the edge of the pool, where lifeguards took over.

The city’s account differs.

Calvo’s spokesperson said last week that lifeguards responded immediately.

Palmer disputed that account, saying he did not see lifeguards begin CPR immediately after he helped remove the swimmer from the water.

“It wasn’t until, I guess, one of the senior lifeguards came by like a minute or two later, and I overheard him saying, ‘Come on, let’s do CPR, chest compressions now,’” Palmer said.

The state Health Department has not indicated whether pool conditions caused or contributed to the medical emergency.

Violations at all three pools

Inspectors documented additional problems throughout the park facility.

Pump and filtration equipment had been changed or upsized at each pool without prior approval from the state. None of the pools had vacuum breakers installed on hose bibs, a backflow-prevention requirement.

Required signs were missing at all three pools, including signs warning swimmers not to swallow pool water.

The Health Department’s inspection reports for all three pools stated: “This pool doesn’t have a valid operating permit to operate.”

The department’s findings came just days after Hialeah celebrated the reopening of the park. Calvo held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 31 to mark the reopening of the facility after more than a year of construction.

The Herald asked the city what Health Department inspections or approvals had occurred before the July 31 reopening, but the city has not explained what approvals were obtained or why the pools reopened without valid state permits.

The Health Department’s inspection reports state that Hialeah was required to contact the department before reopening the pools. The three Bucky Dent pools remain closed while the city addresses the violations and obtains the approvals required to reopen.

This story was originally published August 10, 2026 at 3:45 PM.