The Collier County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to allocate $10 million from excess infrastructure surtax funds for additional square footage at the proposed 120-bed state veterans’ nursing home project on the property of the now-closed Golden Gate Golf Course.
The funds, to be used in providing adult day health care and outpatient therapy services for veterans, would be in addition to the approved $30 million from the surtax. The project is estimated to cost more than $70 million and has set aside at least 11.7 acres, but Commissioner Burt Saunders said the acreage can be increased with these additional services.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Grant Program doesn’t cover the additional construction of the square footage, but there is potential for the $10 million to be matched by the state fund during next year’s legislative session with the support of Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, who represents Collier and Hendry counties and part of Lee County.
Since delegations for the upcoming 2024 legislative cycle may begin as early as September, Saunders seeks to put the project on the state’s radar as soon as possible.
“I think it would be an incredible deal for the state to have this facility with these additional services,” he said. “And I think it would set the tone for the state and federal governments in the future to permit those funds to be used for this these types of services in new construction, but right now we don’t have that.”
Outpatient therapy would include services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy. Adult day health care involves services for those in need of help with daily tasks. There also can be relief for family caregivers through the offering of health, therapeutic and social services. None of Florida’s existing state veterans’ nursing homes provide adult day health care services.
Discussion of site plans for the proposed project continued to progress with the board holding a workshop last month to discuss different model options and what additional services should be provided.
“We don’t want just the next nursing home; we want the best one, and so does the state,” Commissioner Rick LoCastro said. “So, I think it is going to take a bit more funding as we learned during the workshop, so I think this is a no-brainer, and this is a good proactive move.”
