![\"Pools](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_9200.jpeg\" "\\"Pools")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Pools at McDonald Water Park in Hialeah, located near 12th Avenue, have been closed along with the city\u2019s remaining public pools, Milander Pool and Babcock Pool, as the city conducts an independent review of its aquatic facilities. The closures come after the Florida Department of Health shut down Bucky Dent Water Park for several violations.<\/p>\n
City of Hialeah<\/p>\n
Hialeah is closing the city\u2019s three remaining public pools after the Florida Department of Health shut down its newly reopened water park, where inspectors found dozens of health, safety and operational violations \u2014 including a pool with no chlorine, another with a pH level far above the state limit, broken safety equipment and a drain cover with missing screws that posed an entrapment risk.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s closure came a day after an 80-year-old man suffered a medical emergency in one of Bucky Dent Water Park\u2019s pools and had to be rescued by a resident<\/a>. The incident prompted two complaints to the Florida Department of Health, which then inspected the facility and ordered all three pools closed after finding violations and determining that the water park was operating without a valid state permit.<\/p>\n Effective immediately, McDonald Pool, Milander Pool and Babcock Pool will temporarily close, the city announced. Bucky Dent Water Park, which the state already ordered closed, will remain shut while the city conducts what it described as a comprehensive review of its aquatics facilities.<\/p>\n Hialeah operates seven public aquatic facilities: Babcock Pool, Bright Pool, Bucky Dent Water Park, McDonald Water Park, Milander Aquatic Center, Reid Pool and Walker Pool. But only three \u2014 McDonald, Milander and Babcock \u2014 were operating when the city announced the closures. Bucky Dent had already been shut down by the Health Department, meaning the city\u2019s decision leaves all of its publicly operating pools closed.<\/p>\n The city said it is bringing in an independent health and safety expert to evaluate the pools and determine what corrective measures are needed. Mayor Bryan Calvo said the decision was made \u201cout of an abundance of caution\u201d after information raised additional questions about the city\u2019s aquatics operations.<\/p>\n The announcement came a day after the Miami Herald reported that state health inspectors had documented 34 violations at Bucky Dent\u2019s three pools following the facility\u2019s reopening July 31 after a year of closure.<\/p>\n Read more: State closes Hialeah park pools after finding no chlorine, broken equipment, no permits<\/a><\/p>\n The violations covered water quality, safety equipment, filtration and circulation systems, maintenance and permitting. Inspectors found zero free chlorine in the Activity Pool and a pH level of 10, well above Florida\u2019s maximum allowable level of 7.8. They also found low oxidation-reduction potential, inadequate water flow and low water levels.<\/p>\n Other violations included problems with pumps and filtration systems, including a leaking filter and a stuck flow meter. Inspectors determined that pump, filtration and recirculation equipment had been modified without the required prior approval. They also found a pool drain cover missing screws, creating an entrapment risk, as well as loose ladders, missing anti-slip covers, a missing required second life hook, broken gutter grates and deficiencies involving handrails and other pool components. The Activity Pool also had been resurfaced without notifying the Department of Health.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s inspection reports also found that the pools were operating without valid permits required by the Department of Health.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s findings prompted criticism from Miami-Dade Commissioner Ren\u00e9 Garc\u00eda, whose district includes Hialeah, who questioned how the city allowed Bucky Dent to reopen without the required state permit and despite the safety violations identified by state inspectors.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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,\u201d Garc\u00eda said in a letter to Calvo and members of the city council \u201cThe residents of Hialeah deserve complete transparency regarding those findings.\u201d<\/p>\n Garc\u00eda told the Herald in a statement after the city announced the pool closures that it is the right thing to do.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very pleased to see that the Hialeah City Administration took my recommendation seriously and is carrying out an inspection of all the pools in the city,\u201d Garc\u00eda wrote. He said the Department of Health\u2019s findings reflected \u201cserious administrative failures.\u201d<\/p>\n Garc\u00eda said he hoped the city would reopen the pools only after correcting all violations and obtaining the necessary permits.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the administration needs additional funds to make the necessary improvements, as I have always done, I promise to advocate for those resources\u201d Garcia said. \u201cAs long as they demonstrate that they can manage those funds responsibly and ensure the safety of our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n Garc\u00eda emphasized that the issue is a public health concern, not a matter of beautification of pools, and said the findings show that \u201cthe current administration has not taken the health and safety of Hialeah residents seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n The city did not respond to the Herald\u2019s questions before the initial story was published about why Bucky Dent had reopened without valid state permits or why the state inspectors found so many violations in a single park.<\/p>\n In its latest statement, however, the city attributed problems at the facilities to years of deferred maintenance and neglect, saying the current administration is now addressing them.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I told Commissioner Ren\u00e9 Garc\u00eda this morning in a response to his letter, the condition of many of Hialeah\u2019s aquatic and park facilities reflects years of deferred maintenance and neglect that this administration is now confronting head-on,\u201d Calvo said. He said he had asked Garc\u00eda to help find $5 million to renovate and modernize the facilities.<\/p>\n Records reviewed by the Herald show at least $2 million in budgeted, awarded or approved funding for specific aquatic projects and pool-related work since 2022, when Esteban Bovo was the mayor. The funding included projects at Bucky Dent and Milander, as well as an aquatic assessment covering the city\u2019s public pools.<\/p>\n Calvo has been mayor for seven months, and he was a Hialeah council member from 2021-24 when he resigned his seat to run for Miami-Dade Tax Collector.<\/a> During Calvo\u2019s administration, another Hialeah pool facility was deemed unsatisfactory by the Florida Department of Health before Bucky Dent was shut down.<\/p>\n State records show that the Wave Pool at McDonald Park was rated unsatisfactory in May after inspectors found that equipment had been changed without the state\u2019s approval. The violation did not result in the pool\u2019s closure.<\/p>\n By contrast, state inspection records from 2025 and the first weeks of 2026, just days after Calvo took office in January, show the city\u2019s pool facilities were consistently rated satisfactory. Bucky Dent\u2019s last inspection before its reopening was Jan. 15, when the facility was listed as closed.<\/p>\n The city said it will review oversight responsibilities for its aquatics operations, emphasizing that the closures were an internal decision and were not ordered by an outside agency. The decision came after state records showed that a former city employee who left Hialeah in January was still listed as the city\u2019s point of contact with the Florida Department of Health for its aquatic facilities.<\/p>\n The Herald sought additional comment from the mayor\u2019s office beyond the statement provided to the media, but Calvo\u2019s spokesperson said they would not be available until Tuesday night\u2019s City Council meeting.<\/p>\n Despite the state\u2019s closure and the city\u2019s decision to temporarily shut down its other pools, Hialeah City Council members said they had not been briefed by the administration about the situation. Most of the council members learned about the closures and the state\u2019s findings only after the Herald contacted them for comment.<\/p>\n![\"Milander](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_9953.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_9953.jpeg\\"")
Milander Aquatic Center in Hialeah. City of Hialeah <\/p>\n Florida Department of Health inspectors found loose ladders and steps missing anti-slip covers, a loose ladder step, a missing second life hook, high pH levels, low oxidation-reduction potential, low water levels, insufficient water flow, modified water-recirculation equipment and broken or missing gutter grates at Bucky Dent Water Park\u2019s Main Pool. Florida Department of Health <\/p>\n
![\"Records](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2723.jpg\" "\\"IMG_2723.jpg\\"")
Records show the wave pool at McDonald Park was rated unsatisfactory in May after Florida Department of Health inspectors found that equipment had been changed without state approval. The violation did not result in the pool\u2019s closure. City of Hialeah <\/p>\n