Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/341318
such activity. "If I were there with my child, my child would not go into that water body." Health Department staff has no knowledge whether anti-entrapment devices have been installed in the facility to prevent a child from being sucked into a circulation sys- tem, for example, he told the News Leader. Higginbotham called that "a major concern," noting, "We don't know of any safety equip- ment [on-site]." Further, he said, no documentation has been provided by Bob's Boathouse to indicate the body of water is being maintained at the proper pH or treated with chemicals. Higginbotham referenced a May 30 letter to the Health Department from Amanda Kenney, a legal assistant with the Aker Law Firm, saying, "Bob's has taken and is taking action to keep patrons out of the fountain." He added, "They're not doing what they should do. … It's definitely going to become a legal matter at this point. … When people blatantly disregard statutes and rules that are in place to protect the public health … and flagrantly do so, it certainly is frustrating and sets a bad example, and they can be putting people's lives at risk." When the News Leader reached James Aker, the Bob's Boathouse attorney in Sarasota, on July 1 to ask for a comment about the situa- tion, Aker replied, "I don't care to speak about it. Thank you." Higginbotham said Health Department inspectors drove out to Bob's Boathouse, located at 5515 S. Tamiami Trail, on June 27 A number of people were in the water at Bob's Boathouse on June 22. Contributed photo Sarasota News Leader July 4, 2014 Page 9