Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation requiring backup powersources in Florida nursing homes and assisted living facilities,months after the deaths of several residents from a swelteringnursing home that lost power in a hurricane.

The legislation requires the facilities to have a generatorcapable of keeping nursing homes and assisted living facilities at81 degrees Fahrenheit or lower for at least four days.

Must be in compliance by June 1

All of Florida's 685 nursing homes and3,089 assisted living facilities must be incompliance by the June 1 start of hurricane season. State agenciescan grant an extension until Jan. 1, 2019, for facilities thatwould face delays in installing equipment or need zoning or otherregulatory approval.

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“As we near hurricane season, families can now know thefacilities responsible for caring for their loved ones will havethe resources needed to be fully prepared ahead of any potentialstorms,” Scott said in a statement.

Officials from the state's Agency for Health CareAdministration, which oversees nursing homes, and the Department ofElder Affairs, which regulates assisted living facilities, did nothave updated numbers on how many facilities were already incompliance. As of January, 108 nursing homes and 138 assistedliving facilities had installed the necessary equipment.

'Annual risk from Mother Nature'

“Florida faces an annual risk from Mother Nature, and theserules will help keep seniors safe during a possible devastatingweather event or … prolonged power outage,” said JustinSenior, secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration.

The rule was originally issued by Scott, Florida's Agency forHealth Care Administration and the Department of Elder Affairsfollowing the deaths at the Hollywood Hills Rehabilitation Centerafter Hurricane Irma in September. The original rulestated that nursing homes and assisted living facilities had to bein compliance by Nov. 15 or face a fine of $1,000 per day. But astate administrative judge sided last October with nursing homesthat had challenged the tight deadlines.

In January, state nursing homes agreed to the revised rules. Therules also now take into consideration that assisted livingfacilities are licensed differently based on number of beds.

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The original rules mandated 50 square feet per resident neededto be kept cool but it has been lowered to 30 square feet fornursing homes and 20 square feet for assisted living facilities.While nursing homes need 96 hours of fuel on site during a weatheremergency, the hours vary for assisted living facilities from 48hours for facilities with 16 beds or less to 72 hours for thosewith 17 or more beds.

$430M to comply

State officials estimate it will cost nearly $430 million forfacilities to comply.

Legislators though during the recently concluded session agreedto waive sales taxes up to $15,000 for facilities that stillhaven't purchased generators or did so after July 1, 2017.

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Joe Reedy ([email protected])reports for the Associated Press.