Florida hotel sues Southwest Airlines after flight attendant allegedly tampers with fire sprinkler system, causing flood

Court documents say the flight attendant “negligently interfered” with the fire sprinklers, causing the system to activate and discharge water.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida hotel is taking Southwest Airlines to court, saying one of its flight attendants caused major flooding after allegedly tampering with a fire sprinkler.

According to court documents, the Renaissance Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is seeking damages in connection with a February 2025 incident that left the hotel with “substantial damages.”

Court documents say the flight attendant “negligently interfered” with the fire sprinklers, causing the system to activate and discharge water, which flooded the hotel room as well as multiple other rooms in the hotel.

The hotel says in the lawsuit that after remediation, drying out, sanitization and deodorizing, the damages in the impacted rooms exceeded $50,000.

In the court filing, the hotel says the room was paid for by Southwest Airlines.

There was signage near the sprinkler system telling guests not to tamper with the system, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Jan. 22, 2026, in Broward County, Florida.