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Senator Proposes Generator Tax Exemption

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

A Senate Republican on Tuesday proposed creating a tax exemption for generators installed at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

The proposal (SB 1246), filed by Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, is similar to a measure (HB 803) filed last month by Rep. Rick Roth, R-Loxahatchee. The bills, which will be considered during the 2018 legislative session, come as nursing homes and assisted-living facilities look at carrying out generator requirements pushed by Gov. Rick Scott.

Both bills would create a sales-tax exemption for emergency-electrical equipment at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, with the exemption capped at $30,000. Scott's administration moved forward with the regulations after eight residents of a sweltering Broward County nursing home died Sept. 13, three days after Hurricane Irma knocked out the facility's air-conditioning system.

Nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, however, have repeatedly raised concerns about the costs of installing generators and adding fuel supplies to meet the requirements.