As Dallas-based Steward Health Care's financial troubles rage on at its hospitals in states like Massachusetts and Utah, the health system is now facing lawsuits pertaining to some of its Florida hospitals, Florida Today reported March 3.
Steward hospitals in Brevard County (Fla.) reportedly owe more than $1 million in unpaid bills but earned $37.7 million in profits across its then-10 Florida hospitals in 2021, the publication reported.
The health system currently has eight Florida hospitals: Melbourne (Fla.) Regional Medical Center; Rockledge (Fla.) Regional Medical Center; Sebastian (Fla.) River Medical Center; Coral Gables (Fla.) Hospital; Lauderdale Lakes-based Florida Medical Center; Hialeah (Fla.) Hospital; Miami-based North Shore Medical Center; and Hialeah-based Palmetto General Hospital, according to its website.
Steward's Rockledge Regional Medical Center was named in a lawsuit from a pest control company regarding a bat infestation at the hospital.
The lawsuit alleged that the bat removal took nearly two months of labor and resulted in a removal cost of $936,320. The pest control company's lawsuit has demanded Steward pay it more than $1.6 million for interest, damages, attorney fees, and court costs, Florida Today reported.
Another lawsuit against the health system was filed by a landscaping company for more than $59,000 in unpaid bills after the company claimed it did not receive service payment from Steward for its Brevard County hospitals and Melbourne and Rockledge regional medical centers, in 2022.
Other lawsuits against the health system include one over more than $50,000 in unpaid bills from an Orlando, Fla.-based construction firm and another over more than $50,000 lawsuit from a door and glass company for the installation of hospital doors that went unpaid. Steward defaulted on both lawsuits, the publication reported.
Becker's has reached out to Steward for comment regarding the lawsuits and will update this story as more information becomes available.