Florida nursing homes care for more than 700,000 people daily. But soon, The Gardens at DePugh Nursing Center in Winter Park will close its doors.

Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are not keeping up with the cost to provide care, according to Administrator Liz Barton, who told WESH 2 News, “The revenue was not matching the expenses.”

Nursing home board chair Rick Baldwin added, “It doesn't sound like government reimbursement rates are going to go up anytime soon.”

The closing of the Gardens at DePugh Nursing Center is part of a trend in Florida and nationwide that has seen these properties either redeveloped or bought by investment firms.

A new report from AARP shows 425 Florida nursing homes, 60%, had ownership changes between 2019 and 2023 — 156 of them were bought by private equ

See Full Page