Florida Rejected Bill Requiring Nursing Homes To Have Generators: Report

MIAMI, FL — Officials continue to grapple with the eight deaths of nursing home residents who perished in the sweltering heat last week after the air conditioning had been knocked out in the wake of Hurricane Irma. But as the Tampa Bay Times reports in a detailed account, state lawmakers passed on an opportunity in 2006 to require nursing homes to keep emergency generators that provide backup power for air conditioning.

The bill, part of an effort to respond to the 2005 disaster of Hurricane Wilma, passed the House but stalled in the state Senate, the report found. Lawmaker who supported the bill blamed industry lobbyists who opposed any legislation that would impose costs on nursing homes — even while the law would have provided for half the expense of the generators. (For more information about the recovery from Hurricane Irma, subscribe for free to the Miami Patch and receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you're outside of Miami, find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said this week that he would pursue county-level legislation to ensure the safety of nursing home residents when the power goes out. Governor Rick Scott, who has directed an investigation into the nursing home deaths, said on Twitter Saturday: "I directed AHCA & DOEA to issue emergency rules to keep Floridians safe in healthcare facilities during emergencies."

The nursing home said it reached out to the state government for help when the power went out, but no assistance came.

Read the full report at the Tampa Bay Times>>

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