• Our History

  In 1955, Florida Presbyterian Homes opened with just one house, six residents and three staff members. We got our start when a pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church called in to visit Erwin Howland in the Lakeland Terrace Hotel. Erwin had just come out of the hospital, was over 80, and was tired of living in a hotel — he wanted a place more like home. With his subsequent gift and contributions from others, a six-room house was purchased to provide care and a place to live for 10 seniors. Since then, our retirement community has expanded to serve over 300 residents on a 48-acre lakeside campus.

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• Our Mission

  FPH is a nonprofit, Life Plan Community whose ministry is to serve older adults from all faiths with holistic, compassionate care and support in maintaining independence and achieving greater wellness.

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• Our Vision

  Florida Presbyterian Homes vision is to create a neighborhood centered on valuing and enhancing the quality of life for each resident making ours a premier life plan community.

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• Our Values

  We’re guided by our commitment to our five core values: 

  • Compassion: We’re a nurturing, loving community whose compassion is abundant.
  • Community: We build positive, effective and sustained relationships that support active, vibrant and spiritual communities.
  • Opportunity: We believe opportunity means enjoying life your way — learning, growing and living among friends.
  • Security: We provide lifelong continuing care that fosters peace of mind and a sense of security.
  • Integrity: We’re committed to the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability.

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• Our Staff

  Joseph J. Xanthopoulos
  Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director

  Joseph has served as CEO/Executive Director to Florida Presbyterian Homes, Inc. since January of 2019. He has worked in this field for more than 25 years serving in leadership roles in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire. He absolutely loves what he does. He considers it an honor and a privilege to serve in this field and specifically in this ministry here in Lakeland, Florida.

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  David Larson
  Chief Financial Officer

  David joined Florida Presbyterian Homes as Chief Financial Officer in April of 2019. He has 23 years’ experience in the CCRC/LPC industry in areas of Accounting & Finance, served as the CFO to various communities for the past 19 years, and in the healthcare industry for 30 years. His relationship with God is core to his professional and personal life.

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  Maria Seger
  Interim Administrator

  Maria received her B.S. Nursing Home Administration License in 1996 and has held key long term care leadership roles in this field including Nursing Home Administrator, Regional Vice President, Operations Manager, and Assisted Living Administrator.

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  Rick Powers
  Director of Environmental Services

  Rick has 30+ years of experience in Environmental Services and has been the Director of Environmental Services at Florida Presbyterian Homes for the past 25 years. His focus is on meeting the needs and ambitions of our resident to the best of our abilities.

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  Kim Roberts
  Human Resource / Office Manager

  In 1991 Kim began employment with Florida Presbyterian Homes in the Accounting Dept. In 1995 she was transferred to Presbyterian Nursing Center as an Admissions Coord and in 1996 was promoted to Marketing Director. By 1998 she returned to Florida Presbyterian Homes as Staff Development, Admissions and Purchasing Coord. In 2007 she was Promoted to HR/Office Manager. All of her immediate family worked and retired from FPH.

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  Etta D. Owens, Master of Divinity
  Chaplain

  Etta enjoys fostering a welcoming spiritual environment of compassion, exuberance, and joy centered in Christian teachings and values while leading Sunday Chapel Worship. She also leads weekly Bible studies, hospital, and nursing home visitations, performing celebrations of life (weddings and memorial services), and coordinating programs focused on life enrichment in a loving, Christian environment. She joined Florida Presbyterian Homes in 1993 but has served in the role of Chaplain since October of 2019.

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  Stefanie Nelson
  Director of Nursing

  Stefanie has 15 years of experience in Long Term Care and 12 years of experience in acute care and community nursing. She has most recently worked as a traveling DON visiting the States of South Dakota and Illinois. She provides high quality long term care and rehab services is a hallmark of Florida Presbyterian Homes.

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• Our Board of Directors

  The Board of Directors is the governing body of Florida Presbyterian Homes. They’re nominated and then elected to an initial three-year term. Members may be reelected for two subsequent three-year terms, but then must rotate off the board for a minimum of one year.

  Our Board of Directors:

  • Defines our mission, vision and values.
  • Forms policies.
  • Ensures that we plan effectively.
  • Determines our goals.
  • Selects, supports and evaluates the CEO/Executive Director.
  • Monitors and strengthens our programs, services and financial resources.
  • Provides proper financial oversight.
  • Monitors and strengthens Board performance.
  • Ensures legal and ethical integrity and compliance.

   

  Elena Nicholas
  Director of Finance and Administration, First Presbyterian Church

  Michael W. Tamney, Chair
  Vice President, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley

  William Cloyd, Treasurer
  Retired, Senior Vice President Banking, First National Bank of Pasco

  Katie Piperata, Vice Chair
  Senior Partner, Director of Operations, MedBest Recruiting and Consulting, Inc.

  Tom Bowles
  President, Alltek Services, Inc.

  Maureen Browne
  Retired, Spanish Teacher, St. Joseph’s Catholic School

  Ronald R. Shuck
  Senior Housing Development Consultant, Windermere Strategic Partners, LLC

  Dick Huggins
  Resident Representative

  Martha Pope
  Resident Representative

  Jim Verplanck
  Retired, Director of Community Development, City of Lakeland

  Scott Langston, JD, MBA
  Attorney, Scott H. Langston Law

  April Novotny, RN, Secretary
  Chief Nurse Executive and Vice President of Clinical Services, Lakeland Regional Health

  Dan Lacy
  Retired, Vice President, College Mount Saint Joseph

  Don Selvage
  Owner, SHR Human Resources, LLC

  Paul S. Suich, Ph.D., M.Div.
  Director of St. Andrew Ministry, First Presbyterian Church of Lakeland

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Become part of our retirement community in Lakeland, Florida. Call 863-209-7110 or fill out our contact form.