Kensington Gardens: Mold, Broken AC Units - FL
Federal inspectors found the nursing home failed to maintain basic equipment and sanitary conditions for six residents, documenting a facility where administrators remained unaware of deteriorating conditions that had persisted since October 2024.
Resident #12 told inspectors his roommate's air conditioning hadn't worked in months. The temperature in their three-person room reached 80 degrees. Resident #12 had moved his privacy curtain over his headboard to get direct airflow from his functioning unit, while Resident #13's AC sat powerless despite being set to 61 degrees.
"They know about his AC unit not working," Resident #12 told inspectors.
The broken AC filters were caked with black bio growth. Maintenance Assistant Staff O confirmed the unit had malfunctioned since October 2024 due to a bent fan blade. Yet Nursing Home Administrator told inspectors on June 12 she was "unaware of the issues with A/C unit #11 until yesterday."
The facility's Maintenance Director revealed a broader pattern of equipment failures. Three of the facility's 19 rooftop air conditioning units had broken down: Unit #5 over the dining room failed in January, Unit #19 over the North Wing nurses station broke in July or August 2024, and Unit #1 over the therapy gym stopped working in October 2024.
When the dining room temperature exceeded 81 degrees, staff moved residents back to their rooms. Licensed Practical Nurse Staff A confirmed "the dining room would get warm and the residents would come back to their room because of it."
The Maintenance Director explained repair delays: "The facility had a lot of past due monies owed to A/C companies and so it has been difficult to get the companies back out to do the work since they wanted to be paid for the prior work before coming out."
Meanwhile, residents struggled with basic room lighting. Resident #5 complained his overhead light "flickers on and off" while his roommate's light didn't work at all. Resident #11's bedside light required aggressive cord-pulling to function. When Certified Nurse Assistant Staff P demonstrated, she had to yank the cord multiple times until it flickered on.
"I don't think she could pull the cord the same way," Resident #11 observed.
Food safety deteriorated alongside equipment failures. In the east hallway pantry, the refrigerator temperature reached 58-60 degrees Fahrenheit while the freezer climbed to 36-40 degrees. Staff documented the refrigerator at 50 degrees and freezer at 28 degrees, but no entries appeared for the previous day.
Four quarts of resident milk felt lukewarm to touch. Three half-gallons of orange sherbert, ice cream sandwiches, and popsicles had completely thawed in the malfunctioning freezer.
The South Wing pantry presented worse conditions. A pipe had leaked behind the wall, creating water damage that generated a "strong musty smell" detectable from the nurses station. Staff abandoned the room entirely.
"You cannot go into the pantry, it smells so bad. We cannot use it," Certified Nurse Assistant Staff B told inspectors.
Staff C described "mold in the pantry" with a "really bad" smell. Staff D said the pantry "has been like that for about 8 months" with an odor detectable "standing outside of the door."
The abandoned pantry forced operational changes. Staff moved the refrigerator to a small activity room and installed a keypad lock, preventing residents from accessing what had been their television lounge. Staff had to travel to the East Wing for ice and stored snacks in the locked activity room.
The pantry contained the South Wing's only emergency eyewash station, which staff would need to access during chemical emergencies despite the contaminated environment. Brown and tan crusted material covered the sink bottom, while black mildew spread under the cabinet. The Maintenance Director confirmed the eyewash station worked but acknowledged the unsanitary conditions.
Director of Nursing agreed the eyewash station needed "a clean and sanitary environment to prevent contamination" and admitted "it needs some work."
Physical deterioration extended throughout the facility. Loose flooring in hallways created trip hazards. An unidentified resident walking with her walker warned inspectors: "Be careful, you can trip over the loose floor."
Ceiling tiles hung partially down or went missing entirely, exposing pipes in resident bathrooms. The activities room showed water damage with "scattered areas of small gray/black circles, then concentric circles of various shades of tan, rusty brown." A garbage can collected six inches of discolored water from ongoing leaks.
Black bio growth appeared on walls and ceilings where water damage occurred. Outside the activities room, "thick green bio growth substance" covered surfaces near the sliding glass door.
When inspectors toured these conditions with administrators on June 11, the Nursing Home Administrator and Director of Nursing claimed they "had not seen these two areas before." The administrator later stated: "I did not know about the condition of the pantry."
Some nurses refused South Wing assignments due to the pantry odor, according to Staff A. The facility had removed essential amenities from residents while administrators remained unaware of conditions that had persisted for months.
The Maintenance Director hadn't returned to assess the damaged pantry between February 5, when he moved the refrigerator out, and the day of inspection on May 13.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Kensington Gardens Rehab and Nursing Center from 2025-05-13 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
KENSINGTON GARDENS REHAB AND NURSING CENTER in CLEARWATER, FL was cited for violations during a health inspection on May 13, 2025.
Resident #12 told inspectors his roommate's air conditioning hadn't worked in months.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.