HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — For longtime homeowners living east of Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, the sound of progress has become impossible to ignore.

“It’s been hell,” said resident Michele Swan.

“It’s a disaster,” added William Swan.

“There’s noise, the house shakes,” said homeowner Mark Gilden.

“I thought my house was going to cave in,” said 83-year-old Sara Albornoz.

The residents, many retired and in their 70s and 80s, live just east of Memorial Regional Hospital along Grant, Hayes and Garfield streets. For years, the South Broward Hospital District has been buying homes in the neighborhood as part of Memorial Regional Hospital’s massive expansion plans. Many of those homes have already been demolished.

Residents who remain say vacant lots around them are now being used for parking, construction staging, equipment storage and temporary offices tied to the hospital’s expansion project. Only a handful of homeowners remain.

Some residents thought they would spend the rest of their lives there.

Instead, they say their neighborhood has slowly disappeared around them.

“I’m dealing with my husband that is very ill,” Albornoz said.

Alexandra Grada said construction activity has changed daily life for her family.

“I now have a toddler and a fresh newborn and we now have not even been able to walk in our own neighborhood,” she said.

“Is it fair to pull out of the bottom of us what we work all our life for?” Michele Swan asked.

Despite their frustrations, residents insist they are not trying to stop the hospital’s expansion.

“The hospital has to expand. I understand that,” Gilden said.

Still, residents say the process of buying them out has become unfair.

“We’re gonna lose this house,” William Swan said.

Residents told Local 10 offers were made years ago, but they claim negotiations later stalled.

“No, I haven’t heard anything else -- not from the hospital district or from the city,” Gilden said.

Seven homeowners have now hired attorney Kyle Teal, who specializes in property rights and eminent domain issues.

“They’re living in the middle of a construction zone,” Teal said.

“There’s been some negotiating, but it’s not what I consider to be in good faith,” he added.

Teal said residents want the hospital district to formally begin eminent domain proceedings rather than continue what he describes as piecemeal voluntary negotiations.

“It ensures a fair process. Property owners are protected,” Teal said.

Teal claims the hospital district has refused to begin that process and instead has attempted to negotiate directly with homeowners individually.

“I’m not capable of negotiating with the hospital district on my own,” Gilden said.

“They don’t want this to be a story about taking people’s property, but the reality is that’s what’s happening,” Teal said.

Residents also say they cannot afford to relocate using the offers they have received.

“We got an offer that was market value at the time, but now we can’t even buy an equivalent home with that amount of money,” Grada said.

“I couldn’t afford the taxes or the cost of living someplace else,” William Swan said.

“You’re taking our property and you don’t want to compensate for the expansion of where we have to go,” Michele Swan said.

“We only have our self security,” she said. “This is paid off so we can live, we can survive on our two checks.”

“Even if we got the house, we can’t afford the taxes today according to people that are telling us how much they’re paying in taxes,” she added.

Residents are also questioning how and why the City of Hollywood has allowed construction staging and parking areas in a neighborhood zoned single-family residential while people are still living there.

The City of Hollywood told Local 10 the use was permitted because the land is owned by Memorial and located close to the construction area.

“They said we are looking to do this enabling, parking, equipment storage, and we permitted it,” said Joann Hussey, a spokesperson for the City of Hollywood.

“We thought this would be the least amount of impact,” Hussey said.

Residents living there disagree.

“I had to ask a dump truck to move out so I could get out of my driveway,” William Swan said.

“The noise woke her up twice at 7 a.m.,” Grada said of her newborn child.

Russell Long, the city’s chief building official, acknowledged some complaints were legitimate.

“Some of them are justified,” Long said.

Teal believes the current conditions surrounding the remaining homes are influencing residents’ decisions about whether to stay or sell.

“Frankly, they’re trying to wear them down,” Teal said.

A November 2025 letter obtained by Local 10 informed homeowners of disruptions tied to the expansion project and offered independent appraisals for residents interested in selling.

In a written statement to Local 10, the South Broward Hospital District said all home purchases in the neighborhood are voluntary and that homeowners who wish to sell are offered fair market value supported by independent appraisals.

The district also said it remains open to negotiations with homeowners and their attorneys and remains committed to being “a responsive and transparent neighbor” during the hospital’s expansion.

The district said Memorial Regional Hospital’s expansion project represents one of the largest healthcare investments in the region in years and will expand healthcare access for South Florida residents.

Local 10 News also asked Memorial Healthcare System why eminent domain proceedings have not been initiated involving the remaining homes.

The hospital district says it is intentionally choosing not to pursue eminent domain, arguing voluntary negotiations give homeowners more flexibility, more control over timing and the ability to decide whether and when to sell.

Memorial says eminent domain could ultimately force homeowners into lengthy court proceedings and remove their choice altogether.

Teal argues the current voluntary process leaves residents at a disadvantage.

“Their only potential buyer holds all the leverage and they hold none,” he said.

Teal said he is weighing additional legal options for his clients.

Residents say what they ultimately want is simple.

“That’s all we want is honesty and fairness,” Michele Swan said.

“I just want a fair deal negotiated by a professional in my best interest and I’m ready to go,” Gilden said.

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