Original Post on CBS12.com by Katie Bentie
LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A Palm Beach County assisted living facility has been shut down after temperatures inside rose to dangerous levels, prompting an emergency evacuation of elderly residents.
Crest Manor Assisted Living Facility, located on 3rd Avenue South in Lake Worth Beach, is now under a cease-and-desist order issued by the state.
Crest Manor Assisted Living Facility, located on 3rd Avenue South in Lake Worth Beach, is now under a cease-and-desist order issued by the state. (WPEC)
Officials say multiple rooms inside the four-story building exceeded 81 degrees — the maximum indoor temperature allowed under Florida law for assisted living facilities. The law, passed in 2018, requires facilities to maintain safe cooling systems and have backup generators in place to protect residents during power or A/C failures.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, along with local and state emergency management teams, responded late Friday night after residents flagged down deputies to report unbearable heat and malfunctioning air conditioning.
When first responders arrived, they found widespread A/C failures throughout the building. Conditions continued to deteriorate overnight, and by Saturday morning, rooms on the fourth floor had reached 90 degrees.
Officials say multiple rooms inside the Crest Manor Assisted Living Facility exceeded 81 degrees — the maximum indoor temperature allowed under Florida law for assisted living facilities. The law, passed in 2018, requires facilities to maintain safe cooling systems and have backup generators in place to protect residents during power or A/C failures. (WPEC)
Fire officials say the facility was given a chance to make repairs overnight, but when conditions worsened, a joint decision was made to shut the facility down. That decision was made by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
All 42 residents were relocated to two licensed facilities nearby, and family members were notified.
The state’s cease-and-desist notice remains taped to the front door of the building, which remains closed as of Wednesday.
This incident comes roughly seven years after the state passed new cooling requirements in response to the 2017 tragedy at a Broward County nursing home, where 12 seniors died from heat-related causes following Hurricane Irma.
This incident comes roughly seven years after the state passed new cooling requirements in response to the 2017 tragedy at a Broward County nursing home, where 12 seniors died from heat-related causes following Hurricane Irma. (WPEC)
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“These extreme dangers led to significantly increased temperatures, dehydration, and a dozen deaths,” said Joe Landy, a nursing home law expert and partner at Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel. “It was an utterly horrific occurrence.”
Landy says failing to comply with the state’s cooling requirements can result in steep penalties, including fines, license suspension, or revocation.
“Imagine somebody who is bedbound, somebody who has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t know what’s going on,” Landy said. “A stroke can happen, dehydration, even death. That is a horrific, horrific experience for anybody.”
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue conducted a full inspection at Crest Manor on Monday. Officials confirm violations were found, but the inspection report has not yet been released publicly.
