An administrative law judge in Florida has backed a state decision to revoke the license of a Broward County nursing home where residents died after Hurricane Irma, according to an article on the Fox35 website.

“Hollywood Hills' actions violated the rights of numerous vulnerable and medically fragile residents, particularly those who resided on the second floor of its facility, by failing to provide a safe environment,” the judge wrote. “The evidence clearly and convincingly demonstrates Hollywood Hills failed to properly monitor and hydrate its residents as temperatures continued to rise in the building, thus failing to provide appropriate health care and protective services. Hollywood Hills also failed to evacuate the premises when it became clearly uncomfortable and dangerous to the well-being of the patients.”

The recommended order also described how the facility had made numerous phone calls to Florida Power & Light, state emergency-management officials and even Gov. Rick Scott’s cell phone seeking help as the air-conditioning system remained out and as temperatures rose. In the end, local fire and rescue crews and workers from a nearby hospital helped evacuate the 152-bed facility.

The nursing home lost power to its air-conditioning system because a fuse to a transformer on a power pole was dislodged.

Read the article.