Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhat is Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place in Fort Myers, FL licensed for?
Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place is a mid-sized assisted living facility licensed by Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration for 64 residents at 36 Barkley Circle, Fort Myers 33907 (license #7218) under a standard license with no specialty add-on; the current license period ends February 9, 2028.
| Field | AHCA record |
|---|---|
| AHCA license # | 7218 |
| Status on AHCA locator | Licensed |
| License category | Standard only |
| Licensed capacity (residents) | 64 |
| Beds designated for OSS residents | 0 |
| Original license date | February 10, 2020 |
| License period | 02/10/2026 through 02/09/2028 |
| Licensee of record | Mg Fort Myers Subtenant LLC (For-Profit) |
| Management company | Merrill Gardens L.L.C. |
| Memory care program (self-reported to AHCA) | Not listed |
| Fixed on-site generator | Not reported |
Because no specialty license is held, nursing beyond medication administration by a licensed nurse is arranged through an outside home health agency.
What did AHCA inspectors cite at Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place?
The inspection history AHCA posts for Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place shows 4 visits since 2023, 2 standard licensure surveys and 2 complaint or follow-up visits, with 9 deficiencies cited across them; the most recent standard survey, dated February 11, 2025, recorded 4 deficiencies.
| Date of visit | Visit type | Tag | Class | Finding (AHCA wording) | Correction recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/03/2026 | Complaint | — | — | No deficiency cited | — |
| 02/11/2025 | Standard | A0032 | Class 3 | Resident Care - Elopement Standards | 05/01/2025 |
| 02/11/2025 | Standard | A0052 | Class 3 | Medication - Assistance With Self-Admin | 05/01/2025 |
| 02/11/2025 | Standard | A0078 | Class 3 | Staffing Standards - Staff | 05/01/2025 |
| 02/11/2025 | Standard | A0152 | Class 3 | Physical Plant - Safe Living Environ/Other | 05/01/2025 |
| 10/04/2023 | Complaint | A0030 | Class 1 | Resident Care - Rights & Facility Procedures 59A-36.007 (5) Resident Rights And Facility P | 10/26/2023 |
| 10/04/2023 | Complaint | A0077 | Class 1 | Staffing Standards - Administrators 429.176 Notice Of Change Of Administrator.-If, During | 10/26/2023 |
| 10/04/2023 | Complaint | A0079 | Class 1 | Staffing Standards - Levels (3) Staffing Standards. (A) Minimum Staffing: 1. Facilities Mu | 10/26/2023 |
| 10/04/2023 | Complaint | A0165 | Class 3 | Risk Mgmt & Qa 429.23 Internal Risk Management And Quality Assurance Program; Adverse Inci | 10/26/2023 |
| 04/03/2023 | Standard | CZ830 | Class 3 | Emergency Management Planning 408.821 Emergency Management Planning; Emergency Operations; | 05/25/2023 |
Sorted by severity, the citations are 3 class 1, 6 class 3. Florida's class I is the gravest and class IV the most minor; the large majority of assisted living citations statewide are class III.
Among the 43 Lee County ALFs licensed for 17 or more residents, the median latest standard survey recorded 3 deficiencies; Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place recorded 4.
Are there AHCA fines or sanctions on Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place's record?
Yes: the AHCA profile lists 10 final sanctions on this license with $35,600 in fines in total, the latest initiated November 7, 2023.
| Date initiated | Action | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2023 | Fine | Survey | $24,000 |
| February 12, 2016 | Fine | Survey | $500 |
| March 24, 2014 | Fine | Survey | $500 |
| May 7, 2012 | Fine | Survey | $500 |
| May 27, 2010 | Fine | Survey | $1,000 |
| April 2, 2010 | Fine | Survey | $1,000 |
| May 28, 2008 | Fine | Survey | $1,000 |
| April 24, 2006 | Fine | Application | $5,000 |
| April 26, 2004 | Fine | Survey | $700 |
| March 22, 2004 | Fine | Survey | $1,400 |
A fair question for the administrator is what changed after the most recent case was closed.
Has Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place been sold?
AHCA has recorded 2 changes of ownership on this license, the most recent dated February 10, 2020.
New owners can bring new prices, policies and managers. Ask which of the leadership and nursing staff stayed through the sale.
How does Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place compare with other assisted living near Fort Myers?
By the state's figures, at 64 licensed beds it is larger than the Lee County median of 22 across all 84 licensed ALFs; it has held a license for about 6 years, against a county median of 5. The nearest other licensed ALF is American House Palms, roughly 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
| Facility | Miles away | License | Licensed beds | Last standard survey | Cites at that survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American House Palms 2674 Winkler Avenue, 33901 | 1.9 | Standard only | 80 | 03/17/2026 | 3 |
| Springwood Court 12780 Kenwood Lane, 33907 | 2.3 | Standard + LNS | 110 | 05/29/2025 | 2 |
| Brookdale Fort Myers Cypress Lake 7460 Lake Breeze Drive, 33997 | 2.7 | Standard + ECC | 190 | 03/18/2026 | 2 |
| Cape Chateau 2 ALF LLC 6722 Winkler Rd, 33919 | 3.2 | Standard only | 19 | 01/29/2026 | 0 |
| American House Fort Myers 14001 Metro Pkwy, 33912 | 3.8 | Standard + LNS | 143 | 01/08/2026 | 5 |
What is the nearest hospital to Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place?
Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers is the closest acute-care hospital, about 2.5 miles away as the crow flies, with Gulf Coast Medical Center Lee Health next at about 4.9 miles.
CMS rates Lee Memorial Hospital 5 out of 5 on its overall hospital scale, a different system from nursing home stars.
What should we ask Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place on a tour?
These questions follow directly from the state record above:
- Can we read the plan of correction for the 02/11/2025 survey?
- How does your emergency power plan keep the building at 81 degrees or cooler for 96 hours after an outage?
- Which evacuation zone is the building in, and where did residents go during Hurricane Ian?
- How many caregivers are on duty overnight, and is anyone awake on every floor?
- May we take the contract home, including the care-level fees and the 45-day notice terms?
State record: AHCA FloridaHealthFinder profile · AHCA inspection history
