Florida lifts 14-year ban on nursing home construction

Some $430 million of new space for senior care in Florida has been approved after the state ended a 14-year ban on nursing home construction.

Florida will get 22 new nursing home facilities and 11 others will expand, for a total value of $430 million, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. The largest project is a new 180-bed nursing home to be built in Orange County. The most expensive is a $29.7 million facility in Osceola County.

The new projects will help alleviate an acute shortage of nursing home beds. Hundreds of construction jobs are expected to be created.

The state published a list of approved projects. Developers of proposed projects that were denied are likely to file appeals, which could delay construction of the approved projects by a year, according to the Orlando Business Journal.