Barbara Swain stood from the packed rows of chairs at city hall to muscle her way to the podium. Before her had come a slew of tear-filled residents with alcoholic brothers, drug-using friends and relatives who had premature deaths because of their addictions.
But Swain has lived it.
“I was in so many rehabs, from the east coast to the west coast. From Dade County to Duval County,” the 53-year-old said.
She’s been to prison. She’s had two heart attacks and three strokes. She’s been clean and then back on the streets.
Swain addressed the city’s Planning and Zoning Board Thursday, Oct. 8, during a public hearing on the fate of the Red Rose Inn & Suites. Last month, permits were submitted to rezone the property so that a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility may operate on the eastern half of the abandoned motel. The western half would be used as administrative offices and suites where family members could visit for up to seven days.
“We need this, we need this,” Swain said. “We don’t even have a facility here, in Plant City.”
Strawberry grower Carl Grooms agreed. He was there to get a thin portion of one of his properties rezoned but was moved to speak during the Red Rose hearing. His brother had dealt with addiction and came to Grooms for help.
“He needed it then, not 30 days, not six months,” Grooms said.
Grooms struggled to find facilities, and the process was long, expensive and full of paperwork.
“My brother did not make it … there was nowhere for him to go,” Grooms said.
After two hours of questions and comments, the board unanimously approved to recommend the rezoning. The decision mirrors a previous vote from a Thursday, Sept. 10, meeting that was thrown out after it was found public hearing notices were not posted.
The new decision will be heard by the City Commission at its Monday, Nov. 9, meeting.
But not everyone is convinced that the facility, proposed by Florida Rehabilitation & Recovery Services, has found the right home in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
“This should be put in an area where it’s not so congested,” resident Robert Willaford said.
Willaford’s primary concern was the traffic problems it would cause being near Interstate 4 ramps.
The 150-bed facility would have a staff of about 100 people, including doctors, nurses and behavioral health technicians. It is an inpatient-only facility, and clients would be picked up and brought to the facility for 30- to 40-day stays. It is modeled after Florida Rehabilitation & Recovery Services’ White Sands Treatment Center, in Fort Myers.
“Have you been to White Sands?” Willaford asked Russell Ottenberg, a Planeng engineer working on behalf of Florida Rehabilitation & Recovery Services. “We have … It’s not going to be all honey and cream. There’s going to be some thorns and thistles in there.”
Other residents were worried about property values. Margo Powers’ home is on Franklin Street, five blocks west of the Red Rose. She and her husband moved to Plant City several years ago and bought their home with their retirement because they thought it would be a nice community to raise their three children.
“I would like you to see the investment we made,” Margo Powers said to the board.
She and others do not think a rehabilitation facility meshes with the surrounding neighborhoods, which include Wilson Elementary School and Linda’s Little People Child Care Center, both less than a mile away.
“Think about the kids,” Powers, who has a healthcare background working in rehabilitation facilities, said. “If someone chooses to leave, they can walk out. I’ve seen it in a 20-bed facility. Imagine what will happen in a 150-bed facility.”
Because the clients of the facility are inpatient only, they are not permitted to leave the premise. Florida Rehabilitation & Recovery Services will outfit the facility with security cameras, alarms and guards. It has also agreed to put a vinyl fence around the property. Originally it proposed a 6-foot-tall fence, but after residents disagreed, it conceded to 8 feet.
According to Bob Gannon, chief operating officer of White Sands Treatment Center, the clients sign a safety contract. A condition of many health insurance companies require the clients to sign the contract, stating they will not leave until their treatment is complete, or face financial obligation. Gannon said, about 90% of the clients have high-quality insurance.
After the meeting, residents gathered in the foyer of the Nettie Berry Draughon Municipal Building. Swain said that when people finally make the personal decision to go to a rehabilitation facility, they are there because they want to change.
“I was so busy getting high … then I said, ‘Enough is enough,’” Swain said.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“The people you should be afraid of are the ones walking the streets with drug and alcohol problems.” — Debbie Ray
“I don’t think that there’s any family that hasn’t been hit by drugs and alcohol.” — Irene Farmer
“I love the Red Rose. It’s like losing a loved one. We all have such wonderful memories … We have to let go of the ones we love.” — Art Wood
“Plant City does need a drug and rehab facility, but this is not the right location for it.” — Elizabeth Kripas
“It’s really not helping our community if they’re bringing in (people from out of town).” — Felice Willaford
“They’re here on a voluntary basis, and you’re telling me they can’t leave.” — Brenda Nichols
ABOUT THE FACILITY
The proposed rehabilitation facility would be an inpatient-only medical center, where clients would come on a voluntary basis. The facility would be outfitted with cameras, guards and alarms to ensure clients stay within the facility walls. Only the eastern portion of the Red Rose property would be used by clients. The western portion would be used as administration offices for staff and suites for visiting family members.
- 150: beds
- 100: employees
- 1 to 8: ratio of behavior health technicians to clients
- 35: average number of days a client would stay
- $30,000: the approximate amount one stay costs