When Suwannee County commissioners approved the purchase of a $606,291 diesel generator in early January, it passed quietly through the consent agenda, a section of the meeting reserved for routine or uncontroversial items.
County officials say the generator will provide full power to an emergency shelter during outages. Here’s a breakdown of where the money comes from, what the generator will power, and how it fits into Suwannee County’s emergency preparedness plans.
Suwannee County approved the direct purchase of a Caterpillar 1,000-kilowatt diesel generator and automatic transfer switches for Pine View Elementary School, which serves as an emergency shelter during disasters. The generator is designed to provide full heating and air conditioning for the shelter during power outages, a critical function during hurricanes, extreme heat, or prolonged outages.
The project is funded through a federal disaster mitigation grant, administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, with no direct cost to county taxpayers, other than labor and installation costs.
According to a USAFacts disaster declaration report analyzing FEMA statistics, the state of Florida declared 34 disasters, including 15 hurricanes, in the last five years. That makes hurricanes Florida’s most common disaster declaration.
In these disaster declarations, Pine View Elementary functions as a community shelter, meaning it must remain operational when residents have nowhere else to go.
Jason Furry, Suwannee County administrator Administrator, said the new generator will allow the entire facility to maintain climate control, which is something the existing system cannot do.
“The purpose of the grant was to provide air conditioning for the shelter,” Furry said. “This will allow a bigger generator to power the full facility, heating or cooling as needed.”
In Florida, climate control during emergencies is not just about comfort. Extreme heat, cold snaps, and prolonged outages can pose health risks particularly for children, older adults, and those with medical conditions. Without backup power, shelters may be forced to limit capacity or relocate residents during already chaotic situations.
Although the generator carries a six-figure price tag, the funding does not come from the county’s general budget.
The project is funded through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, a federally funded program administered by FEMA and passed through the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The program supports projects like Suwannee County’s generator purchase. Furry said Suwannee County received approximately $1.5 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding following Hurricane Idalia in 2023, and the generator project is one component of that funding.
“Emergency management applied and we received the funding,” Furry said. “Now it’ll just help have a better shelter in a time of need.”
Since Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds are restricted to mitigation and preparedness projects, the money cannot be redirected to unrelated county needs.
The purchase of the generator was approved through the county’s consent agenda, which allows multiple items to be approved in a single vote without extended discussion.
While the approach can surprise residents when large dollar amounts are involved, consent of agenda placement does not indicate a lack of review. According to Furry, the decision followed coordination between county administration, emergency management officials, engineers, and procurement staff.
The county plans to bid out the installation and labor separately, including construction of the concrete pad, electrical work, and integration with the school’s systems.
Adam Smith, an instructional assistant professor at the University of Florida, put the generator’s size into perspective by comparing it with a residential generator.
“A normal house generator that can keep your whole house running is about 25 to 50 kilowatts,” said Smith, who has decades of experience in fire and emergency services in Georgia. “If you think about the size of a school, a 1,000-kilowatt generator makes sense.”
The generator includes automatic transfer switches, which allow power to shift seamlessly from the electrical grid to the generator within seconds of an outage without the burden of manual intervention.
“These systems can recognize when power is lost, turn themselves on, and safely transfer power to the building,” Smith said. That automation is essential for shelters, where delays in restoring power could put occupants at a high risk.
One concern residents often raise is whether generators can function during extended outages, especially when fuel supplies are strained.
Smith said longevity depends on several factors, including fuel storage capacity, power demand, and maintenance planning.
“It really depends on what they’re trying to power,” he said. “Are we just talking about lights, or are we running heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration? All of that factors into generator size and fuel needs.”
Backup power can determine whether emergency services remain operational or are forced to divert resources.
“If we can’t keep power going for someone with medical needs, then we have to transport them to a hospital or shelter,” Smith said. “That ties up ambulances and emergency responders.”
From an emergency management perspective, generators are not viewed as optional upgrades. “When you need one, you need one,” Smith said. “Power loss isn’t just inconvenient, it can be life-threatening.”
Smith noted that emergency services often encounter residents whose situations could have been mitigated with basic preparedness, which is a reality that applies at both the household and community level.
“We have limited resources,” he said. “Generators help communities take care of themselves long enough for help to arrive.”
The county expects the generator to be installed by September, with final documentation completed before the federal deadline in December 2026, said Furry.
The project will require coordination with Pine View Elementary staff, contractors, and emergency management officials for proper installation and testing.
Once operational, the generator will be tested regularly and remain on standby for future emergencies.
Suwannee County and the state of Florida have faced multiple major hurricanes in recent years, accelerating the need for resilient infrastructure.
While $600,000 is a large number, emergency officials emphasize that the true cost of power failure can be far higher. It can mean disrupted services, displaced residents, or strained emergency response. Emergency preparedness prevents community devastation as much as possible.
“If residents only see the price tag, they miss the context,” Smith said. “What matters is what the generator does, who it protects, and how it keeps the community functioning when everything else goes down.”