West Palm Beach, FL – At its February 24th meeting, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners approved accepting the highest bid for the purchase of the 14-acre Glades General Hospital facility and property in Belle Glade. The accepted bid for $250,000 was made by Miami-based developers Castello Brothers, LLC.
“We are encouraged by the bidder’s interest in developing new housing on the property, which would serve as a community resource and asset,” said Dwight D. Chenette, MBA, MPH, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. “The plans outlined by the bidder will put the property back on the tax rolls and may create additional jobs while renovations are underway.”
Castello Brothers, which currently co-owns a 384 unit multi-family development in Belle Glade called Belle Glade Gardens, proposes a residential use for the Glades General Hospital property at 1201 South Main Street in Belle Glade. The accepted bid was submitted in response to an Invitation to Bid (ITB) issued in December 2009 by the Health Care District. With the Board’s vote on Wednesday, the transaction now moves to the closing phase, which will take place within 60 days.
Glades General Hospital served the rural western Palm Beach County communities for over 65 years before being retired on October 15, 2009. The same day that the doors closed at Glades General Hospital, the Health Care District opened the doors to its replacement, Lakeside Medical Center. The new 70-bed facility is the county’s only public hospital, featuring all-private patient rooms, an expansive 24-hour Emergency Room and modern technology throughout. Lakeside Medical Center, which was completed ahead of schedule and below budget, is centrally located at the intersection of US 441 and State Road 80 in Belle Glade. For more information, visit www.lakesidemedical.org.About the Health Care District: The Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides health coverage programs for uninsured residents, a nationally recognized Trauma System, dedicated nurses in nearly 170 public schools, a pharmacy operation, a long-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, and acute care hospital services at Lakeside Medical Center, the county’s only public hospital, serving the rural western Palm Beach County communities along the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee.