After a year’s long attempt to find a nursing home provider to buy the Rohr Home, the Polk County Commission has decided to close the facility in Bartow.
The decision was made official during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled board meeting at the Polk County Administration Building in Bartow.
The commissioners voted unanimously to direct County Manager Bill Beasley to file the necessary paperwork to close the facility on Oct. 1. The facility has struggled to keep its staff and fill beds, which is a challenge throughout the nursing home industry.
Polk County has operated the home since 2003. The county put the property up for sale in July 2022. In November last year, the county agreed to sell the Rohr Home to Millennial Property Investments Corp. of Bartow for $5 million. Since then, that deal fell through. The last request the county made for bids from potential buyers was in early March, but no one submitted a bid, according to Todd Bond, assistant county manager for support services and human services.
According to the consent agenda, the county will provide at least 90 days’ notice to each of the 19 current residents of the Rohr Home, as required by state law. The county also must notify the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to make arrangements for the transfer of each resident.
As the closure nears, “a representative of AHCA shall be placed in the Rohr Home 30 days prior to the voluntary discontinuation of operation,” according to the agenda.