Florida is taking additional legal action against another Larkin long-term care facility. Larkin is the same company that owns the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, the facility in Broward County where 11 residents died when the facility lost its air conditioning during Hurricane Irma.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration is now taking steps to remove Larkin’s Floridian Gardens Assisted Living Facility in Miami from the Medicaid program.

AHCA originally denied Floridian Gardens’ attempt to renew its license on December 22 of last year based on what the agency calls “a history of regulatory issues.” The facility challenged AHCA’s action this January and the case remains pending.

AHCA has since amended its denial for Floridian Gardens to include information relating to what happened at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills facility, since both facilities are owned by Larkin.

“Our Agency will continue to hold health care facilities accountable, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to protect patients in Florida,” said AHCA Secretary Justin Senior. “The Floridians Gardens Assisted Living Facility and Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills have demonstrated without a doubt that they do not deserve to be trusted with patient’s lives, especially those who are vulnerable and unable to care for themselves. That is why, in December, we took action to deny the Floridian Gardens Assisted Living Facility’s license renewal and why we are taking additional action today to remove this facility from the Medicaid program.”

The state suspended the operating license of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood in the Hills after it determined that management failed to call 911 or evacuate residents after that center’s air conditioning failed during Hurricane Irma.

On Wednesday, AHCA issued an Amended Notice of Intent to Deny License Renewal Application to Floridian Gardens Assisted Living Facility, which can be found HERE.

AHCA also issued a notice to Floridian Gardens Assisted Living Facility detailing the state’s intentions to terminate them from the Medicaid program pending the effective date of the denied renewal of the license.