A recent AARP study found that Florida nursing homes owned by private equity firms saw a significant drop in quality ratings and a 13% decrease in direct care staffing.
A recent AARP study found that Florida nursing homes owned by private equity firms saw a significant drop in quality ratings and a 13% decrease in direct care staffing. Facility performance varies; trends do not determine outcomes in any single case.
Source: Based on a recent AARP analysis of private-equity ownership and nursing-home quality; results vary by facility and market.
What Do Families in Florida Need to Know About Ownership, Oversight, and Care Quality?
When large investment firms buy nursing homes in Florida, something changes. It’s not just the name on the door. It’s the priorities inside. For many families, the difference is clear: more profit-driven decisions, fewer staff, and a growing sense that residents are no longer the priority. A recent AARP study found that private equity nursing homes are particularly dangerous in Florida, linking them to reduced staffing, higher costs, and worse care.
In the past five years, the AARP reports, more than 425 Florida nursing homes—about 60 percent of all nursing homes in the state—filed for a change of ownership. Many went to private equity investors.
“In most cases, the nursing homes’ quality of care performance worsened after the sale,” the AARP says.
If your loved one is in a Florida nursing home and something feels off, it may be more than a staffing problem or a bad day. It may be the result of private equity ownership prioritizing financial returns over basic care and resident safety. In these cases, speaking with a Florida nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer can help you get answers, take action, and protect your family’s rights.
What Is a Private Equity Nursing Home?
Private equity (PE) firms are investment companies that purchase businesses, often using borrowed money, with the goal of cutting costs and flipping the business for a profit. Over the past two decades, nursing homes have become a target.
In Florida, many nursing homes are now controlled by these firms or their subsidiaries. Unlike local or nonprofit operators, PE-owned facilities often operate under complex webs of limited liability companies (LLCs) that make it difficult to know who’s in charge, or who’s to blame when something goes wrong.
The AARP study found that, in private equity nursing homes studied between 2019 and 2024:
- Decline in Quality Ratings: After being acquired by private equity firms, nursing homes experienced a drop in their CMS Five-Star Quality Ratings from an average of 3.4 stars to 2.9.
- Reduced Staff Time: Direct care staffing decreased by 13% per resident, resulting in about 33 fewer minutes of care provided each day.
- Higher Medicare Costs: Residents in private equity-owned facilities generated approximately $1,000 more in Medicare costs per person, often due to avoidable hospitalizations.
- Lack of Transparency: Ownership is frequently hidden behind complex layers of LLCs and trusts, making it difficult to determine who is ultimately responsible for care decisions and financial practices.
The PE-ownership model can shield investors from accountability while allowing them to extract profits through management fees, real estate deals, or aggressive cost-cutting. Unfortunately, the people most affected by these decisions are often the residents themselves.
How to Check Who Owns a Florida Nursing Home (Fast)
Start with these quick checks:
- AHCA lookups: Search the facility’s state licensing/inspection profile to see current owners, management companies, and change-of-ownership (CHOW) history.
- Florida Sunbiz: Look up related LLCs and officers; note shared addresses and managers across entities.
- CMS Care Compare: Review Five-Star ratings, staffing levels, and inspection trends.
- Admission packet: Keep copies of the arbitration clause, ownership disclosures, and any “related party” agreements.
Tip: We build an ownership map that ties together landlords, operators, and management companies to identify the decision-makers.
Ownership and Care Quality Go Hand in Hand
Other studies have come to similar conclusions. Numerous studies have shown that private equity ownership can lead to lower care standards in nursing homes. While not every facility operates the same way, the trend is hard to ignore—especially in Florida, where an aging population drives high demand for long-term care.
Common issues reported in PE-owned facilities are similar to those AARP identified. They include:
- Staff reductions, especially among registered nurses.
- Increased reliance on temporary or undertrained workers.
- Slower response times to emergencies.
- Higher rates of hospital transfers, bedsores, and infections.
These problems often stem from a single source: a business model that values margins over medicine. In some parts of Florida, families have raised alarms after seeing sharp changes in care quality following a buyout by a private firm.
Evidence We Preserve (Critical in PE-Ownership Cases)
- Ownership & contracts: operating/management agreements, lease terms, related-party payments, change-of-ownership filings.
- Charts & logs: nursing notes, care plan entries, Medication Administration Records (MARs), turning/rounding logs, fall/elopement protocols.
- Incident documentation: the facility’s incident report, internal emails/texts, and witness statements.
- Video & timing: hallway/room surveillance video (where available), call-light/alert exports, response-time reports.
- Staffing & payroll: assignment sheets, ratios, timecards, and agency/registry invoices.
- EMS & hospital: 911 audio, CAD timestamps, EMS/ER records, and transfer paperwork.
- Regulatory history: state inspection reports and prior AHCA citations showing patterns.
Why it matters: This paper/video trail links cost-cutting decisions to missed care, delays, and preventable harm.
Legal Accountability in Florida Nursing Home Cases
Florida Statutes Chapter 400 protects nursing-home residents from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. In most cases, families have two years from when harm was discovered, or reasonably should have been discovered to act. These cases often require tracing layers of LLCs and proving how staffing cuts or policy changes caused injury or death.
- Ownership tracing: We connect landlords, operators, and management companies to name the real decision-makers.
- Preservation letters: We immediately demand the facility preserve surveillance video, call-light data, and staffing logs to stop overwrite.
Signs of Neglect in Private-Equity Facilities
- Unexplained injuries: Bruises, broken bones, or cuts without incident reports.
- Bedsores and infections: Especially those left untreated or recurring.
- Rapid health decline: Physical or emotional deterioration linked to understaffing.
- Dirty or unsafe conditions: Soiled clothes, poor hygiene, or facility disrepair.
- Emotional withdrawal: Residents who become fearful, withdrawn, or depressed.
Ask for: the incident report, the last 30 days of turning/rounding logs, MARs, and the care plan revision history.
Florida Oversight (Quick Guide)
Florida nursing homes are regulated by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA); Adult Protective Services within the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF) may also be involved, depending on the facts. Feeding assistance, supervision, and safety measures should appear in the resident’s care plan and be followed consistently. Our team moves fast to request records and preserve surveillance video before systems overwrite.
Talk to a Florida Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Lawyer
Free consultation. We’ll preserve video and records immediately, trace the corporate ownership, and start the investigation so your family gets answers and accountability.
Private Equity Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect FAQ
What is a private equity nursing home?
It’s a facility owned by an investment firm focused on profits, often at the expense of adequate staffing and resident care.
Are private equity nursing homes more dangerous for Florida seniors?
AARP’s analysis linked PE-owned facilities to lower care standards, higher hospitalization rates, and reduced staff time. Results vary by facility.
How can I find out who owns a nursing home in Florida?
Ownership is often hidden behind complex LLCs, but AHCA lookups, Sunbiz records, and CMS Care Compare—plus a legal investigation—can reveal the real owners and managers.
What are the warning signs of neglect in a private equity-run facility?
Watch for bedsores, unexplained injuries, poor hygiene, rapid decline, and staff who seem overwhelmed or evasive.
Can I file a lawsuit against a private equity-owned nursing home?
Yes, but these cases are complex. A lawyer can hold the real decision-makers accountable and fight for compensation under Florida’s Chapter 400.
About the Author
Attorney Armando Edmiston is the founding attorney of Armando Personal Injury Law in Tampa, Florida, a law firm dedicated to helping people harmed in car, truck, motorcycle, nursing home, and other serious injury cases. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and personal injury lawyer, Armando draws on his real-world courtroom experience and years of representing injured Floridians to write and carefully review the legal content on this website. Every guide is written in clear, straightforward language so injured people and their families can better understand their rights, and is reviewed for legal accuracy before publication.
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Results vary; past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Sources
AARP Florida — Change of Ownership and Quality in Florida Nursing Homes (findings on staffing, star ratings, ownership trends).
https://states.aarp.org/florida/new-report-reveals-declining-quality-in-florida-nursing-homes-following-private-investor-acquisition
Center for Medicare Advocacy — summary of AARP Florida report (context on PE ownership impacts).
https://medicareadvocacy.org/private-equity-purchase-of-nursing-homes/
CMS — Five-Star Quality Rating System (methodology reference).
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/health-safety-standards/certification-compliance/five-star-quality-rating-system
Medicare Care Compare — public lookup for nursing home star ratings & inspections.
https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?guidedSearch=NursingHome
Florida AHCA — Online Licensing / ownership & CHOW information for facilities.
https://ahca.myflorida.com/health-quality-assurance/online-licensure-information/online-licensing-system
Florida Sunbiz — Division of Corporations search (LLCs, managers, and related entities).
https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/search/
Florida Statutes — Chapter 400; Residents’ Rights §400.022.
https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0400/Sections/0400.022.html