TAMPA, Fla. — A Spectrum Bay News 9 Watchdog investigation found two-thirds of municipal public pools in the Tampa Bay area are without surveillance cameras.
In late June, St. Petersburg police received reports about a young man hitting a young girl in the neck while at the Child’s Park pool. The victim’s mother says the boy also threatened her daughter’s life.
Police are still seeking the suspect in part because investigators don’t know exactly what he looks like. They don’t have surveillance video that could help track down the suspect.
The City of St. Petersburg confirmed that there are no surveillance cameras at Child’s Park Pool or any of its city-owned pools.
That surprised Renae Lyons, a concerned parent who said she has been taking her children to St. Petersburg pools for years.
“At pools, if we have a pool party — a kid pool party — I’m in the pool,” Lyons said. “I’m one of the only moms that goes into the pool because I worry.”
Our Watchdog investigation found St. Petersburg is not alone. Of the 21 local governments across Tampa Bay that operate their own pools or swimming areas, only seven said they have surveillance cameras. You can find a full list below.
The others either said they do not have cameras or did not respond to questions.
“I think that’s kind of scary,” Lyons said. “I think they should have cameras, especially in the public areas.”
At Clearwater city pools, staff have access to surveillance cameras. The city invited us to the Ross Norton Recreation Center to show off its system.
“Whenever we have any kind of issues, if it’s a risk management issue, the first thing they always ask us for is the camera footage,” said Dave Scrivener, recreation manager for the city of Clearwater. “And it’s nice to have that.”
Scrivener said Clearwater installed cameras for safety, to monitor lifeguards, and to help keep watch over facilities when no one is around. He said the system allows him to monitor live camera feeds from his phone, and the video is stored for 30 days.
“Sometimes when we have an accident on the pool, now there’s usually three stories: one story one way, one story another way and then the one in the middle,” Scrivener said. “The camera helps us get the facts straight.”
Florida law does not require public pools to have surveillance cameras. Spectrum News also could not find any similar laws anywhere in the country.
But some parents raised privacy concerns about who would have access to cameras and how the footage would be used.
In Clearwater, Scrivener said access is limited to managers and higher-level employees.
Brother Jones, president of the Child’s Park Neighborhood Association, said privacy concerns are real. He said he supports exploring cameras as long as they are implemented appropriately.
“Yeah, we would definitely support a review, just making sure that, number one, it’s not invasive,” Jones said. “And if the review says, yes, this is absolutely something that we are able to do in a way that would keep people safe, and be mindful of privacy concerns, then we support that.”
St. Petersburg officials declined an on-camera interview.
In an email to the victim’s mother, the city said it relies on lifeguards, writing, “While surveillance cameras may assist in reviewing events after an incident occurs, they do not prevent accidents or altercations and cannot replace the constant observation and immediate intervention provided by trained staff.”
Lyons said she believes cameras should be installed in public areas, including for lifeguard accountability.
“Maybe not so much where it’s private but, in the public areas, I think they should,” Lyons said.
As for cost, the City of Clearwater says their cameras are installed for $2,000-$2,500. At their five pools, the City of Clearwater has a 16 cameras.
Municipalities with cameras at their pools or swimming areas
· Clearwater
· Temple Terrace
· Lakeland
· Winter Haven
· Haines City
· New Port Richey
· Manatee County
· Pinellas Park
Municipalities without cameras, or who didn’t respond to our questions
· St. Petersburg – no cameras
· Tampa – no cameras
· Dunedin – no cameras
· Seminole – no response
· St. Pete Beach – no cameras
· Lake Wales – no response
· Inverness – no cameras
· City of Sarasota – no cameras
· Hillsborough County – no cameras
· Pasco County – no cameras
· Hernando County – no cameras
· Citrus County – no cameras
Andy Cole
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