It was approved with much fanfare, but more than two years later, local veterans are wondering when a new VA nursing home will be built on the Treasure Coast.
Tuesday, representatives from the state came to apologize for the delays.
“What I’m asking y’all is to give us a chance," said Lt. Col. Glenn Sutphin of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, to St. Lucie County Commissioners. “I really do apologize that we took so long to get this thing done.”
Lt. Col. Sutphin said they’re finally ready to get building.
Recently, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs changed its building guidelines to allow state-owned homes to follow state building rules. That will reduce the cost of construction from $58 million to around $40 million.
“This home that we build allows us to have quicker reaction time for our veterans," said Lt. Col. Sutphin.
There are 280,000 veterans living in the service area that includes Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee and seven other counties.
“Even with all the delays and the bureaucracy, it’s going to turn out to be a positive thing for the veterans," said Roy Brewer with the United Veterans of St. Lucie County.
The building will be named after Army Specialist Ardie Copas, who died in 1970 at age 19 fighting the Vietnam War in Cambodia. He was awarded a Medal of Honor posthumously.
Work on the 120-bed facility in Tradition will begin in six to nine months, with construction taking 18 months.
Fl Dept of VA apologizes to @StLucieGOV because of delays in building new VA nursing home in @CityPortStLucie. Construction in 6-9 mo. pic.twitter.com/jbYEOktqjA
— Jon Shainman (@JonShainman) May 16, 2017