Florida emergency power rules require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to maintain an ambient temperature of 81°F or below for at least 96 hours after loss of primary electrical power. This requirement is Florida-specific and can be found in Rule 59A-4.1265 (nursing homes) and Rule 59A-5.035 (assisted living facilities), adopted after Hurricane Irma and ratified by the Legislature in 2018. Functional Devices, Inc. manufactures relays, current sensors, and UL924 emergency lighting controls for building systems to achieve compliance during such outages.
What Florida Emergency Power Rules Require
These rules set a performance requirement, but they do not specify equipment. Each facility must maintain an alternative power source and fuel capable of holding temperatures at 81°F or below for a minimum of 96 hours, in an area of at least 30 square feet per resident for nursing homes and 20 square feet per resident for assisted living facilities. No specific generator type, fuel source, or control equipment is mandated.
The amount of fuel storage required depends on facility type. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities with 17 or more beds must keep at least 72 hours of fuel onsite or use piped gas; assisted living facilities with 16 or fewer beds must keep at least 48 hours onsite. When a state of emergency is declared, all facilities must bring enough fuel onsite to supply adequate power for 96 hours. Emergency power plans are reviewed by the local emergency management agency, deficiencies must be resolved by resubmitting the plan within 10 business days, and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) enforces compliance through administrative fines and license action.
Load Switching and Equipment Status During an Outage
When an outage requires cooling equipment to run on a generator for an extended period of time, two control problems must be solved: load switching and equipment status confirmation.
Load Switching
Florida’s rules only require a portion of a facility to be kept cool during an outage, so an emergency generator doesn't need to be able to supply power to the entire building. However, this means equipment that typically runs on utility power can exceed the capacity of an emergency generator.
To stay within it, loads are staged so equipment starts in sequence rather than all at once, and can be shed when demand approaches the limit or locked out for the duration of the outage. Each of these actions is carried out at the load by a relay: a controller decides which equipment runs, and a relay opens or closes the circuit that runs it. The RIBU1C is an enclosed relay (rated 10 Amps SPDT with a 10–30 Vac/dc or 120 Vac coil) that suits this particular application.
Equipment Status
Even under normal conditions, a command point only reports what a controller asked for; it does not report whether its request was actually carried out successfully. During the 96-hour window of power required after a Florida outage, if something trips or fails, it can be difficult to tell until the temperature of a facility has already risen outside the bounds of compliance.
A current switch can solve this problem. By reading the actual draw at the equipment, it can distinguish between a running motor and a commanded-on point that did not start. The RIBXGTA (a split-core adjustable current switch with a 0.75–150 Amp sensing range and a solid-state contact output) is suitable for this application. For electronically commutated motor (ECM) equipment, the RIBXGTA-ECM adjusts down to 0.25 Amps.
Emergency Lighting During Extended Outages
A facility running on generator power is still subject to emergency lighting obligations under the Florida Fire Prevention Code. Devices that force emergency fixtures on when normal power is lost are listed to UL924. Specific UL924 emergency lighting requirements in Florida are covered in a separate Functional Devices article.
Frequently Asked Questions About Florida’s Emergency Power Rules
Which facilities do Florida’s emergency power rules cover?
Licensed nursing homes under Rule 59A-4.1265, and licensed assisted living facilities under Rule 59A-5.035. The two rules carry the same temperature and duration requirements with different space and fuel minimums.
Do the rules require specific control equipment?
No. The rules state a performance requirement: 81°F or below for at least 96 hours. Equipment selection is up to the facility, and the resulting plan is reviewed by the local emergency management agency.
How much fuel must be stored onsite?
At least 72 hours for nursing homes and for assisted living facilities with 17 or more beds; at least 48 hours for assisted living facilities with 16 or fewer beds. A declared state of emergency raises the onsite requirement to 96 hours.
Why were these rules created?
The rules were created following Hurricane Irma in 2017, when extended power outages left some Florida care facilities unable to maintain safe indoor temperatures. The state issued emergency requirements shortly after the storm, and the Florida Legislature ratified permanent rules in 2018.
What happens if a facility’s plan doesn’t meet the requirements?
The local emergency management agency that reviews the plan will flag any deficiencies, and the facility then has 10 business days to resubmit a corrected plan. AHCA enforces ongoing compliance and can issue administrative fines or take licensing action against a facility that fails to meet the requirement.
Source Relays and Controls for Florida Healthcare Facilities
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities working toward compliance with Florida’s emergency power requirements need load switching and equipment status devices in place before a storm causes an outage. An authorized Functional Devices distributor can confirm stock and lead times on the models commonly used for this application: enclosed relays for load switching, split-core and ECM current switches for equipment status, and UL924 relays for the emergency lighting circuits that stay in effect throughout the outage. Find an authorized Functional Devices distributor in Florida ahead of hurricane season.