Laurellwood Nursing Center in St. Petersburg, FL

Pros

• The Laurellwood Care Center staff is extremely professional, respectful, and caring.
• Laurellwood is described as a wonderful hidden gem with a clean facility and attentive staff.
• The new administration and DON are described as rock stars, signaling a dramatic positive change.
• The staff are highly encouraging and take good care of the residents.
• It's considered one of the best facilities in the Tampa Bay area.
• Therapy is spectacular and nursing is great, with staff treating residents and each other like family.
• The team led by Jenny is fantastic, knowing the elders by name and offering resident choices.
• The facility is praised for great food and for being well-kept with residents in good spirits.

Cons

• The Laurellwood Care Center is not a safe place for anyone's loved one.
• From the moment of entry, the facility feels dirty, rundown, and frankly scary.
• The staff turnover is constant, with a different crew almost every night and little clarity about who's in charge.
• A relative nearly died there after becoming septic and staff failed to recognize the signs, requiring insistence on an ambulance.
• It is not trustworthy with a family member's health or well-being.
• The place is horrible: old, dirty, and with an overwhelming smell of urine.
• The staff are rude, careless, and often not in charge; complaints frequently go unaddressed.
• The building is old and in disrepair and some say it should be shut down.
• Prescriptions and belongings reportedly go missing, and there are concerns about abuse.
• The food given to diabetics is inappropriate and unacceptable.
• It is described as a dungeon: dark, dingy, and stinky with roaches in some rooms.
• Some reviews suggest the five-star ratings are from staff or their spouses, casting doubt on authenticity.

Review

Laurellwood Nursing Center is best suited for families who want a hands-on, person-centered atmosphere in a smaller setting where caregivers can form meaningful relationships with residents. The community tends to reward those who respond well to regular staff interaction and who value solid therapy services, as many reviews highlight attentive nursing, engaged CNAs, and a therapy program that residents find compelling. The trade-off is a facility that can feel worn and inconsistently governed, with building conditions and administrative issues that undermine confidence in daily operations. For families prioritizing pristine premises and uniformly predictable systems, alternative options are advisable.

Alternatives are worth considering for families who cannot tolerate ongoing concerns about safety and cleanliness or who demand unwavering, transparent governance. The most significant red flags emerging from the feedback are odors, an aging physical plant, and patterns of staff turnover that disrupt continuity of care. Medication handling and emergency responses are also repeatedly questioned in anecdotes, underscoring the importance of robust oversight. Given these factors, it's prudent to compare Laurellwood against other options with up-to-date facilities, steadier leadership, and verifiable safety practices. A careful, current tour, along with recent inspection results, should guide the decision.

What Laurellwood does well centers on its people. Across multiple accounts, the caregiving team - nurses, CNAs, and activity staff - are described as professional, kind, and genuinely involved with residents. Therapy services frequently receive commendations, and the smaller size of the center helps staff know residents by name and tailor supports. Leadership improvements, where noted, suggest a potential for more consistent operations in the future. These strengths matter because compassionate, competent caregiving can cushion environmental shortcomings and occasional miscommunications, even if it cannot fully eliminate those structural risks.

Yet the negatives recur with enough force to influence overall risk assessment. The building's age and upkeep emerge repeatedly as subpar, with persistent smells and a sense of being dated. Inconsistency in staffing - frequent turnover and shifts in who is in charge - contributes to uneven care plans and accountability gaps. Allegations of neglect or slow responses surface in several reviews, along with patient-safety concerns around medication management and alleged misalignment between administrators and frontline staff. Taken together, these issues create a climate where safety and predictability are fragile and must be actively verified before committing.

In weighing the pros and cons, Laurellwood may be the right fit for residents who thrive on personal attention and who have families that stay actively involved in care planning. For residents with complex medical needs, high risk of complications, or a priority on consistently clean, well-maintained surroundings, alternatives will typically outperform. The narrative around leadership changes offers a glimmer of hope that governance can strengthen, but such improvements are not guaranteed and should be validated with current staff and independent oversight. The facility presents a credible caregiving core amid a backdrop of operational and environmental fragility.

The decision process should be methodical and disciplined. Begin with a thorough on-site assessment: observe hygiene and odor, inspect rooms and common areas, and talk directly with the administrator and the director of nursing about staffing levels and turnover. Request the latest state survey results and request to review the care plans, medication procedures, and incident logs. Speak with current residents and family members to gauge ongoing satisfaction and to separate recurring concerns from isolated incidents. Compare Laurellwood with other Tampa Bay-area facilities that consistently demonstrate clean environments, stable leadership, and proactive problem-solving. If Laurellwood is pursued, implement a structured trial with measurable milestones, scheduled care-plan reviews, and explicit escalation procedures to ensure safety and reliability keep pace with compassionate care.

This part of St. Petersburg, Florida offers a convenient and diverse range of amenities for senior living. With multiple theaters, cafes, restaurants, pharmacies, physicians, places of worship, parks, and hospitals within close proximity, residents have access to entertainment options as well as essential services. The variety of dining options caters to different tastes and preferences, while the nearby parks provide opportunities for outdoor activities and relaxation. Additionally, the presence of reputable hospitals and medical centers ensures that seniors have access to quality healthcare facilities in case of emergencies or routine medical needs. Overall, this area provides a well-rounded environment for seniors looking for a comfortable and convenient place to call home.

Theaters

• Regal Park Place & RPX (1.1 miles)
• AMC Sundial 12 (4.3 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (1.1 miles)
• Kristina's Cafe (1.4 miles)
• Mazzaro's Italian Market (2.2 miles)
• Panera Bread (3.3 miles)
• Bula Kafe (3.3 miles)
• Bandit Coffee Co. (3.7 miles)
• Starbucks (3.7 miles)

Restaurants

• Pollo Tropical (1.2 miles)
• Burger King (1.6 miles)
• McDonald's (2 miles)
• Mercel's Bake Shop (2.3 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (2.5 miles)
• Hooters (2.5 miles)
• El Cap Restaurant (2.6 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.5 miles)
• Winn-Dixie (1.7 miles)
• Walgreens (1.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• Winn-Dixie (2.3 miles)

Physicians

• Updegraff Laser Vision (1.7 miles)
• Ear, Nose and Throat Associates (2.3 miles)
• All Florida Orthopaedic Associates (2.3 miles)
• Northeast Family Practice (2.6 miles)
• Bay Area Medical (3.2 miles)
• Wellspring Cancer Center (3.3 miles)
• Bay Area Heart Center (3.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Allendale United Methodist Church (1.9 miles)
• Christ The Cornerstone (2.1 miles)

Parks

• Fossil Park (2.2 miles)
• Freedom Lake Park (3 miles)
• Crescent Lake Park (3.1 miles)
• Northwest Park (3.2 miles)
• North Shore Park (4.2 miles)
• Vinoy Park St Petersburg (4.4 miles)
• St Pete Pier Playground (4.5 miles)

Hospitals

• St Anthony's Hospital (3.5 miles)
• All Children's Obgyn Specialists (4.3 miles)
• All Children's Hospital (4.6 miles)
• Bayfront Health St. Petersburg (4.7 miles)