JUPITER, Fla. — Town officials in Jupiter sent a letter to the owner of Harbourside Place on Monday that said an inspection determined that some light fixtures in the fountain were "leaking electrical voltage."
The revelation comes after last month's electric shock incident at the fountain killed a man and injured four others, including three children.
The incident occurred Oct. 22 at about 3:30 p.m., killing Nate Davenport, a 45-year-old father.
A day after Davenport's death, the town's building department electrical inspector and electricians conducted an inspection of the fountains following a request by police.
According to a letter from Jupiter interim building official Jim Brown, the electrical system for the fountain is "declared unsafe" in accordance with Florida building codes.
"The electrical system for the interactive water feature (fountain) shall remain unenergized until the electrical system is evaluated by a State of Florida licensed professional and a repair is designed and implemented or the fountains are demolished," the letter said.
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Ever since the tragedy, the fountain has been turned off, the electricity has been cut off and there has been no water in the fountain.
An attorney for the Davenport family told WPTV that the letter furthers the family's disappointment and called it unacceptable that the fountain had enough voltage to kill a human being.
WPTV also contacted Harbourside Place representatives for comment, but a spokesperson has not released a statement.
Read the full letter below:
Brooke Sweetser, who has kids, told WPTV reporter Ethan Stein she knew the Davenport family through sports. She said her familiarity with the family made it tough to comprehend the incident.
"They’re a wonderful family, very intact, wonderful family," Sweetser said. "It was very hard to hear. It was hard to hear that it happened at all, but to know that it happened to them was very painful."
Sweetser said she's concerned about a lack of regulations because she said she has four boys, who would also play in a fountain. She said her own business checks its fountain for any problems at least once a week and was surprised nobody found the issue before the incident occurred.
"It's completely unacceptable," Sweetser said. "That's something that should be checked on a daily basis."
Kelly O'Shea, who also has kids, said she was "shocked" a business in Jupiter wasn't acting with more diligence. She said her kids play at Harbourside Place and other fountains, which made her wonder if a similar incident could happen to her kids.
"You want to rely on a town like Jupiter," O'Shea said. "You want to feel like you are protected by the people who own these spaces that our kids are constantly running around. This is a family community. It makes you feel like you're not as safe as we thought, unfortunately."
