CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Tuesday evening was the deadline for the nearly 100 residents of The Woodlands Assisted Living Facility to move out, after an emergency suspension order from the state.
The Cape Coral facility faced numerous accusations from the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, including sexual abuse, wandering residents and a bed bug infestation.
The state gave a 5:00 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 14th for the facility to suspend operations.
The facility’s owners, Langham Healthcare, LLC, based out of New York haven’t responded to request for comment.
The state’s emergency order came after months of investigations and fines.
Documents obtained by Fox 4 Investigates show state regulators inspecting the facility as far back as summer of 2022.
In August of last year, the state fined The Woodlands $1,000 based upon “multiple criminal background screening violations.”
The state found the facility didn’t properly conduct background checks on its employees, a violation of state law.
For instance, one employee hired in September 2021 was fired less than three months later “for endangerment to others,” according to the state documents.
Regulators returned to the facility in 2023, eventually fining the company $8,000, with a new set of allegations.
In September, the state agency says a resident wandered away from the facility.
The resident’s family was never notified.
The facility, according to the state, didn’t have the resident listed as an elopement risk, even though the state says they should have.
The state’s report also alleges that a resident stole an employee’s car in September, while the facility didn’t properly supervise the resident.
