From: Total Backup Generation
Legal Requirements Vary
How big must a grocery store or supermarket be to require a generator, and how large a generator must such a store install? Although Florida has no state law addressing these questions, individual counties and municipalities have enacted varying requirements.
Miami-Dade County passed a law in March 2006 that requires grocery stores larger than 40,000 square feet to have total backup generating capacity, but small ma-and-pa grocery and convenience stores are exempt, even though such stores may be the most accessible sources of food for many inner-city neighborhoods.
Advertisement
Elsewhere in the state, even the largest supermarkets must have only enough generating capacity to run emergency lights and basic electrical equipment, such as power-operated doors.
Where a county or municipality has imposed a deadline for meeting generator requirements, stores that try to comply may run afoul of the deadline due to problems with equipment availability and with permitting issues for installing the generator and constructing its enclosure. Store managers, contractors, and equipment vendors must strive for collaboration and dialog with local officials to resolve these problems.
September-October 2007
From: Total Backup Generation
Legal Requirements Vary
How big must a grocery store or supermarket be to require a generator, and how large a generator must such a store install? Although Florida has no state law addressing these questions, individual counties and municipalities have enacted varying requirements.
Miami-Dade County passed a law in March 2006 that requires grocery stores larger than 40,000 square feet to have total backup generating capacity, but small ma-and-pa grocery and convenience stores are exempt, even though such stores may be the most accessible sources of food for many inner-city neighborhoods.
Elsewhere in the state, even the largest supermarkets must have only enough generating capacity to run emergency lights and basic electrical equipment, such as power-operated doors.
Where a county or municipality has imposed a deadline for meeting generator requirements, stores that try to comply may run afoul of the deadline due to problems with equipment availability and with permitting issues for installing the generator and constructing its enclosure. Store managers, contractors, and equipment vendors must strive for collaboration and dialog with local officials to resolve these problems.