At Advent Square Senior Living in Boca Raton, Tom Dowell says their generator is a no-brainer.
“There should be back up power,” he says. “It’s just common sense.”
A new ordinance from the city would step up the rules for similar facilities.
If passed, owners of nursing homes would be required to provide backup generator power for 96 hours, and not just to power the AC unit.
In addition, the generator wouldn’t be mobile, it would have to be permanently installed at the facility.
“They have to be with people to take care of them, they’re putting their lives in their hands, so they have to be taken care of the right way,” Dowell says.
Steve Bahmer is president of Leading Age, which represents facilities across the state.
“In terms of the spirit of the rule, we support what it appears the folks in Boca Raton are attempting to do,” Bahmer says.
Bahmer says while he supports the effort, he says it's all about timing.
His group has already filed a challenge against the governor's emergency order, which requires facilities to have a plan in place within 60 days.
“The work required to get that done is taking between 4 months on the low end to 18 months on the high end," Bahmer says.
The Boca ordinance gives facilities until June 1st 2018 to comply.
The planning and zoning board will discuss the proposal on Thursday.
To read the ordinance, visit here.
