HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- Gas stations, as well as condos with elevators, will be required to have generators in case another hurricane knocks out power, Hallandale Beach, Fla., officials decided Tuesday, according to a Sun-Sentinel report.
Taking stock of the 2005 hurricane season, city commissioners said they do not want to see people trapped in their condos with stalled elevators or driving around the county looking for gasoline. The commission gave tentative approval to a measure requiring generators that would power stations and condo elevators [image-nocss] for at least three days following a hurricane or natural disaster, said the report.
The measure gives those affected three years to install the generators, the report added.
Mickey Driver, a spokesperson for Chevron, told the newspaper that most Chevron stations in Florida are independently owned. Chevron will not be responsible for buying generators for those stations, he said.
He said the company has provided generators to stations in the aftermath of past storms, including 20 to Houston-area stations after Hurricane Rita.
As reported in CSP Daily News, legislation to require generators at gas stations is pending at the state level, as well as in several other municipalities statewide in Florida. And Governor Jeb Bush has weighed into the debate in favor of requiring generators. Also being debated is the question of who should pay for the mandated equipment.
Officials in the gasoline industry have said some stations, particularly independently owned ones, might have a hard time buying generators, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars for the industrial-sized units that would be needed to run gas pumps.
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