Sunnyland Mental Hospital: Where Exactly Is It? (Miami, Tampa: home, high school)

[Ghenges]

I know it was torn down in 1999 and they put up a park there. I know it's somewhere near Silver Star and Hiawassee. I just don't know the exact spot. My brother and I drove pass it one night about 12-15 years ago and I remember seeing the building with the graffiti, broken windows, etc. Just can't seem to remember exactly where it was.


Any help from the veterans?

[VaNative]

I found this link you might be interested in:

Sunland Spirits (http://www.orlandohauntings.com/sunland.html - broken link)

It looks like it was located off Hiawassee Road on Laurel Hill Road.

[Alphaman]

That place was creepy.....It was said to be haunted.

[Ghenges]

Thanks, I think I'll take a drive over there today.

Yea, it was always said to be haunted. I did some more Googling and read some more on it. It's pretty creepy like something you would find in a movie.

[GloryB]

Interesting article VaNative. Thanks for posting it.

Geeze, what an odd place to pick for a playground.

[VaNative]

Originally Posted by GloryB

Interesting article VaNative. Thanks for posting it.

You are http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/7.gif (broken link)

[Ghenges]

So I drove through the place today. It's right off of Silver Star about 1/4 mile west of Hiawassee on Laurel Hills Rd. There is one main building in the front that is used as a Juvenile probation office. To the left of that was the park and playground. It was eerie and very quiet. No one in the park, no one in the building or parking lot. There was a road that went around the park and a building on the other side. It said "health services" or something on the door. It looked to be part of the hospital that they didn't tear down that they are still using. Both buildings were white/grey with mold on them.

[babygirl420]

As of Sept. 20, 2008 Sunnyland is still standing as is scary as hell. There is no park anywhere near it. There is however some office buildings that have alarms that go off at three hour intervals, this is an attempt to ward off kids wanting to explore.

[Guyanese_jessii]

Can someone give me the actual street # because i only see buildings no park! I've lived in orlando since 2004 and i never knew there was a mental hospital in orlando! i mean i went to Evans high school down the street, but go figure!

[JMB-1978]

I would like to shed some light on the mystery pertaining to the ( Sunland Hospital of Orlando ) and provide to you all the truths that pertain to it after years of false reports and lies. As a historian in the Orlando area for nearly the past 10 years I had researched the Sunland Group for an extensive period of time and I feel it's time to share the truth and put to rest the false reports concerning this site.

Originally the Sunland Group started as the ( W.T. Edwards Hospital Chain ) It was named after an important Health-Care Figure in Florida's history who donated large sums of money to have these hospitals built. The 1st hospital was built in 1952 and though most people believe their only to be the few hospitals built , their were actually a total of " 12 " built from 1952 to 1969. Some of these sites included : Tallahassee , Lantana , Marianna , Tampa , Miami & Orlando's.

A large majority of these hospitals were built for different needs. The W.T. Edwards Hospital of Tallahassee was a Tuberculosis hospital , some were built as Geriatric care centers and others were mere care facilities.

The Orlando Sunland Division was not a ( MENTAL HOSPITAL ) It was A Special-Care Needs Facility for children. These were children that suffered from illnesses such as cancer , or mentally-handicapped children suffering from downs syndrome and the like. The 3 story facility was more or less one big foster home / care center that provided to these children. The hospital was divided into seperate wings , the left wing & right wing wards. Each wing served a different purpose for these children. Their were other structures on these grounds which have been failed to be mentioned through the years , other then the adminstrations building. Their was also the nurses office torn down ages prior to the initial facility.

W.T. Edwards Hospitals eventually became known as the ( Sunland Hospital Group ) by 1961 when the division of sunland training centers was established by the board of commissions. Within a period of 10 years , the hospitals faced some crippling developments , mostly from staffing , budgeting and financial woes. Understaffing and underfunding was the main reason why these hospitals never truly flourished and most were shut down in the 1970's. As underfunding and financial woes continued to build up and the hospitals started to deteriorate , the Department Of Children & Families stepped in and shut the majority of them down.

As a matter of fact , their was never a single report of abuse , neglect , torture or any other forms of negligence reported at the Sunland Of Orlando Division. NOT A ONE !! The story of a child falling down an elevator shaft was debunct. Their is no record of this ever happening and those interested in finding evidence on their own can do so through public records , county clerks office records , city-data reports , and other legal records that can be obtained through the city chambers office. As a matter of fact their was not a single child that died as Sunland of Orlando. These claims and reports are false and their is no substantial proof to back the claims. Needless to say , Sunland of Orlando's division fell victim to Underfunding and was shut down by the state. Not because of negligence or abuse.

Many photo's had surfaced of what appears to be children being mistreated or neglected or what is termed as being treated as ( Sub-Human ) level. Children tied to beds or strapped to their chairs or what appears to be hooked up to wires and being tested. One must understand , most special needs children underwent forms of bizarre treatment during the 1950's to 1960's due to the mere fact we did not have the advances of medicine or technology that we had then as we do today. Some of these treatments might have seemed ( CRUEL ) but these were the way things were all over the world at these times. Not to mention the cure for Tuberculosis did not come until the later 1950's.

Sunland should be remembered as a care facility which reached out to the community and those children in need. It should not be remembered as a site of cruelty , abuse and torture because these things never happened. Paranormal Groups have grately destroyed this hospitals reputation and conjured years of lies and false statements and reports , everything from children being raped , to being tortured and killed and this is no way , shape or form , the truth. These things never took place.

Though the hospital and the structures have been removed for some years now , the administrations Office building still stands though it is tightly sealed and boarded up with no entry access.

I just ask of everyone to respect the hospital for what it truly was and not for what the lies have made it into. More information on the W.T. Edwards hospital divisions can be found through Wikipedia or other research sites. Thought I would clarify these claims. Thanks for reading...