Most South Florida gas stations near storm-evacuation routes and major highways have complied with a new law requiring them to be pre-wired for backup power generators by June 1, the state Department of Environmental Protection reported Friday.

The law requires large gas stations within a half-mile of an interstate, turnpike or designated evacuation route in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties to install a pre-wired electrical system with a switch to allow the use of an emergency generator during major disasters.

Officials said they could begin citing violators as early as next week. Fuel station owners who don’t comply with the law could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor and a $500 fine.

Last fall, DEP sent letters to more than 1,000 gas stations in Florida to make owners aware of the new law and began surveying stations for compliance. This year inspectors checked more than 200 stations in South Florida.

The DEP report shows that 45 percent — 484 outlets — of the 1,077 fuel stations subject to the new requirements have an alternate emergency power source on site or access to one within 24 hours. But state officials found seven gas stations in Broward County and four in Palm Beach County have yet to comply with the requirements of having a transfer switch installed. Sunshine gas station in Miramar is listed among seven gas stations in Broward County that have failed to install the pre-wiring system in Broward County. Four gas stations in Palm Beach County have yet to comply with the new requirements.

Maximo Alvarez, speaking on behalf of the owner, said the station has filed for the permit to install the transfer switch.

“It should be done within the next few days,” said Alvarez, president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, a company that owns and operates more than 65 retailers and supplies fuel to more than 100 gas stations in Florida.

Last year, legislators passed the law in response to the devastating hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, which left many gas stations with fuel but no power to provide gas to consumers.

The law’s requirements vary according to a county’s population, but in South Florida, all gas stations with 16 fueling positions — eight dispensers accessed from both sides — must be wired so generators can power the pumps, cash registers and critical equipment during outages. The law requires that gas stations be pre-wired for a generator, but does not mandate that all operations have a generator on-site.

State officials said the idea behind the mandate was to provide an infrastructure for gas stations to have the capability of using an outside power source during an emergency. But because many gas station owners recognize that fuel is a commodity after a disaster, some said they have taken the extra step and installed generators.

The law also mandates that gas station owners with 10 or more filling stations in a single county have portable generators, in addition to the pre-wiring mandate. The report said that 49 percent — or 18 of the 37 owners or entities — have at least one portable alternate power source, available 24 hours for every 10 outlets owned.

Since the new law took effect Friday, DEP has handed over compliance and enforcement to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), said Sarah Williams, a DEP spokeswoman.

Terry McElroy, DACS spokesman, said inspectors will begin making visits early next week to the gas stations identified as not complying with the law.

McElroy said inspectors could issue a notice of violation and deadline of 10 days to fuel station owners who are not complying. But if nothing is done after several warnings, inspectors could issue an injunction or refer the case to the local state attorney’s office.

Mc Nelly Torres can be reached at or 954-356-4208 or 561-243-6600, ext. 4208.

GAS RUNDOWN

Don’t wait for an emergency or power outage to happen before devising a plan for buying gas after a storm.

To find out if your gas station has a pre-wired system or backup generator on site, ask the owner ahead of time.

To read a fact sheet about the requirements for fuel facilities and retailers and to see if your area gas stations comply with the law, go to helpteam.

— MC NELLY TORRES

ONLINE

For a statewide list of gas stations that have — and haven’t — complied with the new law requiring them to be pre-wired for backup power, go to