Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs

The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs is a state-level government department under the authority of the Governor of Florida, tasked with assisting veterans and their families in receiving benefits and services they are entitled to. Among its functions, FDVA oversees veterans’ long-term care through State Veterans’ Nursing Homes.

While the exact founding year of FDVA is not stated in the sources retrieved, state statute refers to Chapter 296 of Florida law, which governs “Veterans’ Homes” operations, indicating longstanding statutory authority. Specific nursing homes have opening years listed: for example, the Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Veterans’ Domiciliary Home opened in 1990, the Emory L. Bennett Nursing Home in Daytona Beach in 1993, and the Baldomero Lopez Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes in 1999.

FDVA is a state government agency; the nursing homes it operates are state-owned, not-for-profit facilities. There is no indication of private, PE-backed, or public-corporate structure—it is entirely a government-operated chain.

FDVA operates eight skilled nursing homes throughout Florida. FDVA’s annual report names them: Alexander “Sandy” Nininger (Pembroke Pines), Baldomero Lopez (Land O’ Lakes), Clifford C. Sims (Panama City), Clyde E. Lassen (St. Augustine), Douglas T. Jacobson (Port Charlotte), Ardie R. Copas (St. Lucie), Alwyn C. Cashe (Orlando, Lake Baldwin), plus a domiciliary home in Lake City.

The facilities offer full-service, long-term skilled nursing care, with around-the-clock supervision by licensed nurses; seven of the eight facilities include dementia-specific neighborhoods. These are State Veterans’ Nursing Homes, a category defined under VA programs providing nursing, domiciliary, and adult day care.