Jon,
2000 Florida Statutes:
- 515.27 Residential swimming pool safety feature options; penalties.--
- - (1) In order to pass final inspection and receive a certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool must meet at least one of the following requirements relating to pool safety features:
- - - (a) The pool must be isolated from access to a home by an enclosure that meets the pool barrier requirements of s. 515.29;
- - - (b) The pool must be equipped with an approved safety pool cover;
- - - (c) All doors and windows providing direct access from the home to the pool must be equipped with an exit alarm that has a minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB A at 10 feet; or
- - - (d) All doors providing direct access from the home to the pool must be equipped with a self-closing, self-latching device with a release mechanism placed no lower than 54 inches above the floor.
That is the first Florida statute requiring swimming pool safety features (barrier, cover, access, etc).
would not need to be upgraded (as we suggested) because "it was not code back then"
As you said you called it: "upgraded" - "upgrades" are not "required", however, the agent said "needed" (or maybe they said "required"?) - the difference between the two is that many things are "needed" which are not "required" ... for instance, the agent showering/bathing every week is likely "needed" ... albeit not "required" (well, unless they want to keep selling real estate).
Also keep in mind that before the Florida statute above, many municipalities had local requirements for swimming pool safety, so putting a "date" on such a requirement before that Florida statute would mean knowing what the municipality the house is located in "required" at the time the pool was constructed ... the time the "pool" was constructed, not the time the "house" was constructed as the pool may have been constructed later.