A lawsuit has been filed attempting to block the sale of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to Florida State University.
The Tallahassee branch of the NAACP and a group of Tallahassee residents filed the lawsuit, saying the hospital would be operating without a license due to it and FSU still negotiating a lease.
FSU reached an agreement with the city in March to pay almost $110 million for the hospital's assets, as well as pledge $250 million in short-term improvements to the hospital's healthcare offerings and over $1 billion over the long-term.
The issue was hotly debated and led to another 3-2 city commission vote that has decided most controversial items before the board since 2020.
Mayor John Dailey supported the transfer, saying it will help transform healthcare access in North Florida.
"Out of the 20 years that I have served in elected office, this will probably be the most important, if not one of the most important votes that I will take. (It's) one of the most important decisions as an elected official that we can take in our careers," he said.
City Commissioner Jack Porter voted no, expressing concerns about transparency in the process and worries about handing a major community healthcare resource to a state entity.
"To date, there's been no appraisal, no plan, no discussion of alternative models for a partnership that don't involve a sale, no willingness of the majority to compromise. I believe this could have been a 5-0 vote. I fully believe that," she said.
Requests for comment from Jack McLean, lawyer for the NAACP, and the city are pending.
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