Collier leaders are facing a setback for a state-run veterans’ nursing home because of arsenic soil contamination that needs remediating before the federal government releases $74.2 million for the project.
The Collier County Commission declared a public emergency at its May 12 meeting to expedite pursuing an environmental contract to clean up the soil at the 23.5-acre site. The site will be the footprint for the 120-bed veteran’s home.
It is at Golden Gate Parkway and Collier Boulevard. The land was previously a golf course.
At issue is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notifying the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs on April 27 that the site needs to be cleaned up before the federal VA releases its planned $74.2 million. The federal money is to cover 65% of the construction cost.
The county is paying the remaining 35% to serve as the state’s share of the project cost. That was a strategic move to get priority for federal approval against other states seeking federal support for veterans’ nursing homes.
The clean up must be done within 180 days of the federal VA notification to the state.
The county had hoped to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in July. There was no discussion at the board meeting when the groundbreaking will be held.
The county is donating the land to the state for the nursing home; county and state officials held a land dedication ceremony in January although the official land transaction has not been finalized.
Collier Commissioner Burt Saunders, who has spearheaded the project for many years, said at the May 12 board meeting that the earlier plan had been for the environmental remediation to be done as part of the state’s construction plan.
That was agreed upon during an Aug. 15, 2025, meeting between the county, the state VA and the state’s contractor for the nursing home, Suffolk Construction.
The state VA worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on a “soil management plan” and the state environmental agency approved the plan April 15, according to county officials.
Remediation project could hold up VA home construction
That all changed when the federal VA notified the state that the arsenic soil at the site needs further remediation, which lead to a change in the soil management plan, according to county documents.
“What makes this difficult is basically two things,” Saunders said. “One is that this remediation has to be completed and verified by the end of September of this year. If it’s not completely cleaned and verified by that time, then the (federal) grant that we have received becomes questioned and likely would go somewhere else, and we would be back into a cycle of funding again.”
Saunders said he spoke with Suffolk, the state’s general contractor, and the plan is for the county to enter into a contract with Suffolk to do the clean up during a pre-construction phase.
“We don’t know the cost of that, but we know it will be fairly substantial,” Saunders said.
“The problem with the state doing the clean up is one of those Catch-22 things,” he said. “The state can’t spend money cleaning up property owned by Collier County because we can’t deed that property to the state until it’s cleaned up at this point.”
He said Suffolk is working with its subcontractors to get the work done “but it’s going to be really tough to get it done by the end of September.”
The county is asking the state for some of the county’s money already deposited with the state to use for the soil remediation, he said. The county is going to have to come up with some more money, he added.
“We don’t have to come up with an amount today, because I don’t know what that amount will be,” Saunders said. “And then the understanding is the county would be paid back that money if it’s anything in addition to what we’ve already contributed.”
There was no discussion among the board about the issue and declaring a “valid public emergency” for the county to go forward with a contract to clean up the site.
County staff will bring the fully executed agreement to the board to ratify at a future meeting, according to county documents.
What is the VA nursing home project?
The veteran’s nursing home has been inching forward for years, with the county earmarking $30 million from proceeds from the one-penny sales surtax that was levied in Collier from 2019 until the end of 2023 for various projects.
In addition to the pledged amounts, the county has committed another $10 million for an adult day care center on the site because the federal VA does not pay for construction of them.
State officials say the future nursing home will be a model for the nation.
Collier is home to roughly 24,000 veterans, many of whom are aging and need long-term care support.
State VA leaders say the design is state of the art and will set a standard for other VA nursing homes nationwide.
Spouses of veterans will be allowed to live in the nursing home.
The nursing home with 120 beds will consist of two “neighborhoods” of 60 beds.
The nursing home neighborhoods will connect to a community center that will feature amenities such as a coffee shop, chapel and barbershop.
Do you have an opinion about this topic? Write a letter to the editor and send it to letters@naplesnews.com and/or mailbag@news-press.com. Keep it to 250 words or fewer and include your contact info. Have more to say: Send a guest column of no more than 600 words.
Liz Freeman is a health care reporter. Reach her by emailing lfreeman@naplesnews.com
Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News; download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier veterans’ nursing home hits snag; $74M at risk
Reporting by Liz Freeman, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
