>> Late Friday evening, June 6th, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to a local Assisted Living Facility (ALF) located on the 500 block of 3rd Ave South in Lake Worth Beach. While on scene, deputies were approached by multiple residents concerned about excessive heat and a lack of functioning air conditioning. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, together with PBCFR’s Fire Marshal, responded to assist. They were joined by Palm Beach County Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) in a coordinated response.
A joint assessment revealed widespread air conditioning failures throughout the four-story building, with multiple rooms at or above 81 degrees. A temporary plan was implemented Friday night to move residents into cooler areas of the facility, and repairs were being made to the air conditioning systems. When crews returned on Saturday, conditions had worsened, particularly on the fourth floor, where some rooms exceeded 90 degrees. Given the deteriorating conditions and health/safety concerns, a joint decision was made to cease operations at the facility. The owner was instructed to mobilize their emergency evacuation plan, and all 42 residents were relocated to other licensed facilities…