Hialeah council demands accountability, transparency from Calvo after state closes pools

The Florida Department of Health’s closure of Bucky Dent Water Park has prompted Hialeah City Council members to demand greater transparency and oversight as Mayor Bryan Calvo shuts down all city-operated pools.

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The state closed the three Bucky Dent pools on Aug. 5 after inspectors found the facility operating without a valid permit and documented dozens of violations involving water quality, equipment, maintenance and safety.

However, it wasn’t until the Miami Herald reported the state’s closure and detailed the Health Department’s findings, including 34 individual violations across the three Bucky Dent pools, that Calvo announced the closure of all city-operated pools. The violations included inadequate chlorine, a pH level above the state’s maximum, problems with pool equipment and safety components, and modifications to pump, filtration and recirculation equipment without the required prior approval.

The mayor said he made the decision out of an “abundance of caution and prudence” and wants an independent pool expert to inspect every facility before the city considers reopening them.

The shutdown prompted council members to seek more information about city projects and how the administration communicates critical issues to the council.

Councilwoman Gelien Perez asked that Parks, Construction, Streets and Public Works provide the City Council with a monthly capital budget report.

“I think it’s important for us to be informed because we get phone calls from our residents,” Perez said during Tuesday’s council meeting. “I believe it’s important that we get a monthly report here at the council from these departments so we can keep in touch, better understanding what’s going on.”

Perez’s request came as council members questioned the administration about the pool closures and what led to the problems at Bucky Dent.

Councilwoman Melinda De La Vega asked the city what needs to be done before the city’s pools can reopen.

Calvo blamed previous administrations.

“We had facilities that were neglected for years, years of negligence completely in terms of the upkeep,” Calvo said. “Many of these pools are not operational. Bucky Dent was one of them.”

Calvo said his administration also rebuilt Bucky Dent, including its pumps and filtration system, before reopening the facility July 31. Five days later, the Health Department inspected the pools and found they were operating without a valid permit.

The problems under Calvo’s administration have not been limited to Bucky Dent. State records show that the Wave Pool at McDonald Park was rated unsatisfactory in May after inspectors found that equipment had been modified without the state’s required approval. The violation did not result in the pool being closed.

City records show Bucky Dent had received substantial investment before Calvo took office in January. More than $933,000 had been allocated for improvements to the aquatic center, including pool renovations and equipment. The spending raises questions about Calvo’s characterization of Bucky Dent as a facility that had been neglected for years and about how the park could reopen after those investments while still operating without a valid state permit and with dozens of violations identified by state inspectors.

The Bucky Dent inspection came one day after an 80-year-old man suffered a medical emergency in one of the pools. The incident prompted two complaints to the Health Department.

The city initially said Bucky Dent was being closed “out of an abundance of caution” following the medical incident. Later, Hialeah said the state permit was still pending because of an “oversight” in filling out a form. Now that the Health Department’s inspection records are public, Calvo said he wants to ensure the problems identified at Bucky Dent are not repeated at the city’s other aquatic facilities.

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“I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen in the future and that we are in the best, best shape possible,” Calvo said. He described the pools as a “huge liability” for the city, noting that the facilities are used by children and seniors and said the city wants to make sure “everything is as perfect as humanly possible.”

Calvo’s decision expanded a state-ordered closure of one water park into a citywide shutdown of every aquatic facility, while council members pressed the administration for regular information about capital projects, pool conditions, the outside inspection and the steps needed before the facilities can reopen.

“Unfortunately, we got this Department of Health report saying that even though we did all these things and all this work and all this effort, they still highlighted additional things that we would have to do in order to be able to get their approval in order to operate,” Calvo said.

Calvo said he wants an independent expert to inspect every city pool before any facility reopens.

“I don’t want to have these facilities open to the public unless I have an independent expert that knows everything about pools,” he said. “They’ll come in and review every single pool, top to bottom, left to right, and tell us exactly what are the conditions of the pool. What has to be done?”

The administration has also put forward an estimated $5 million price tag to repair Bucky Dent and other city aquatic facilities, although officials have not publicly detailed how they arrived at that figure.

The Miami Herald attempted to ask Calvo who authorized Bucky Dent to reopen without a valid state operating permit, how he learned about the Health Department’s findings and how the city calculated the estimate for repairs to Bucky Dent and other aquatic facilities.

Calvo did not answer the questions. After the council meeting, he rushed up the stairs toward his office, accompanied by police officers, as a Herald reporter attempted to speak with him.

The exchange came as three of the five council members present at the meeting were asking for more information about the administration’s plans. Council members Monica Perez and Luis Rodriguez were absent.

Councilman William Marrero asked that council members be kept informed during the search for the outside expert and throughout the inspection process.

Marrero also asked for details about the selection process and potential contract. Calvo said the cost would likely exceed $25,000, meaning the contract would probably have to come before the council for approval.

De La Vega also raised concerns about how information reaches council members.

“I would also appreciate it if the council can be kept informed on any critical issues concerning the city,” she said. “I found out through all of them through social media.”

Calvo acknowledged the communication problem.

“Yeah, I found out stuff by reading the paper,” he said. “So there’s a lot, a lot of issues there that need to be corrected.”

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