# Why do swimming pools in Florida have screened enclosures? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675 "2009-02-20T04:10:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/21 "2009-02-20T17:32:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I am never going to Florida! :eek: Lobster sized scorpion things?! If it’s any consolation, I did say _small_ lobsters. They were about 8" long and about as big around as a thumb. I’m sure you’re going to say “whew, Florida here I come” now… ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/22 "2009-02-20T17:37:49Z")
I had a pool when I first got to Fl and bitched all the time about cleaning it. The wife hated going out to use it due to bugs, and I found three snakes in it. Got it enclosed and we use it almost daily, never get bugs and the screen itself is rated to 80 mph winds, of course a stick can be flung through it quite easily. and it keeps itself remarkably clean with very little maintenance. In fact a lot of floridians have screened in areas with no pool at all. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/23 "2009-02-20T18:01:49Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > Missed the edit window: Looks like I don’t remember my high-school physics very well after all… F=ma should be “force equals mass times acceleration,” not velocity. :o (But the real-world application of hurricanes slinging heavy shit at your house still applies, acceleration or velocity or speed or whatever be damned.) The more immediately useful equation would be E=.5mv² ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/24 "2009-02-20T18:09:21Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > I had a pool when I first got to Fl and bitched all the time about cleaning it. The wife hated going out to use it due to bugs, and I found three snakes in it. Got it enclosed and we use it almost daily, never get bugs and the screen itself is rated to 80 mph winds, of course a stick can be flung through it quite easily. and it keeps itself remarkably clean with very little maintenance. In fact a lot of floridians have screened in areas with no pool at all. That’d be me. I lovelovelove my screened patio. I’d never be able to sit outside and enjoy a nice summer evening without the screen, because the mosquitos’d carry me off! ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/25 "2009-02-20T18:14:25Z")
Bugs and leaves. They still get in there, but not nearly the same number. My condo pool has no screen and it’s always got leaves in it. They clean it pretty much every morning so I know they’re different leaves. Having the pool area screened in also makes life easier for Floridians to hang about their pool area for 10 months out of the year. The idea of the screen protecting against hurricanes is pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/26 "2009-02-20T18:20:18Z")
The thread reminds me that I haven’t shared a Ron White quote in a while. > [@](#): > > It’s not _that_ the wind is blowin’. It’s _what_ the wind is blowin’. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/27 "2009-02-20T18:58:24Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > If it’s any consolation, I did say _small_ lobsters. They were about 8" long and about as big around as a thumb. I’m sure you’re going to say “whew, Florida here I come” now… Are you sure they weren’t _actual_ lobsters? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/28 "2009-02-20T23:52:59Z")
could be crawdads. i heard the keys had the scorpion things over the palmettos the rest of the state has. although i’m sure the palmettos (such a nice name for a very, very, scary insect that FLIES!!)have migrated to the keys by now. lots of cars and luggage to travel with. and don’t forget the love bugs! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/29 "2009-02-21T00:41:44Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Uh hello, palmetto bugs. Try cleaning those out of a filter system sometime. ughhh. Bingo. I’ve lived in Florida, and while the gators are nothing to play with, the palmetto bugs are the true enemy. Bigger than the gators sometimes, and mean as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/30 "2009-02-21T03:46:25Z")
I heard the screens are there to keep out bugs that can give you nasty diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/31 "2009-02-21T04:44:15Z")
I grew up in Florida - pools without screens are susceptible to horse flies that eat the kids, and those with screens allow the adults to sit on the back porch mosquito-free. It also keeps out leaves. I don’t really think alligators are that big of an issue in most areas, I grew up on a big lake and only saw 2 alligators the entire time. Non-screened in pools work just as well though, I’ve swam in both and never really noticed much of a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/32 "2009-02-21T05:05:54Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > could be crawdads. I dunno. 8" would be one hell of a crawfish, and they are freshwater creatures. Maybe they could live in a brackish waterway, but I’ve never heard of a saltwater crawfish. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/33 "2009-02-21T05:47:00Z")
Besides keeping out bugs & other animals, they serve an important legal purpose. Pools are often legally considered an ‘attractive nuisance’, meaning that they tend to attract children, and that if a child were to get injured or drown in your pool, you could be held legally liable. Even if the child was trespassing on your property, the reasoning is that the child was ‘attracted’ by your pool, and was too young to know about trespassing laws. But putting your pool behind a fence or screen enclosure like this shows that you took steps to prevent a child from entering and being accidentally hurt in your pool – that effort will reduce your legal liability. So even if it doesn’t prevent such an accident – a determined child could probably get through the screen – at least it shows that you tried to prevent such an accident. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/34 "2009-02-21T16:35:14Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I dunno. 8" would be one hell of a crawfish, and they are freshwater creatures. Maybe they could live in a brackish waterway, but I’ve never heard of a saltwater crawfish. Probably because they are more commonly known as [crayfish](http://www.crayfishworld.com/breeding.htm) in academic circles. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/35 "2009-02-22T07:39:01Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Besides keeping out bugs & other animals, they serve an important legal purpose. But in most other parts of the country, that means installing a chain-link fence, not screening that covers the entire pool. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/36 "2009-02-22T09:29:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Probably because they are more commonly known as [crayfish](http://www.crayfishworld.com/breeding.htm) in academic circles. Could be. Where I grew up, crawfish are food. Tasty food. Served in any number of delicious ways. Damn…now I want some.☹ ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/37 "2009-02-22T12:36:16Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > So how does an alligator get in through that kind of enclosure? Knocks it over? I’ve never seen one up close so I don’t know how it works. Alligators have mouths that are absolutely full of big, sharp teeth and feet that terminate in big, sharp claws; those enclosures are typically just sort of heavy duty screening and an alligator can simply rip it to shreds if he is so inclined. Or, as you suggest, a large enough alligator can simply apply its weight to it until it tears or collapses. The fact that you own a swimming pool, enclosed or not, will not guarantee that an alligator will take up residence. We’ve lived in our townhouse for eight years now without an alligator making an appearance. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/38 "2009-02-22T12:42:31Z")
Checking back in; no, definitely not crayfish or lobster. I know what those look like. This had the stinging tail of a scorpion. I don’t recall, however, that it had the shield-shaped carapace that most scorpions do. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/39 "2009-02-22T12:44:26Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Party at **LouisB’s** place! I’ll bring the Cheetos. 😃 Well, there was the night a couple of years ago when my Darling Marcie and several other women went skinny dipping at the conclusion of a sort of spontaneous block party. No one brought Cheetos, though. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-swimming-pools-in-florida-have-screened-enclosures/486675/40 "2009-02-22T12:58:05Z")
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