(TALLAHASSEE) -- To the pleasure and dismay of many, Florida State University (FSU) is acquiring Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH).
Many comments made opposing the merger cited financial issues and a lack of compensation for the city. Today, TMH pays an annual $1 rent to the city, and there has been no public information regarding recovering assets for the city.
The controversial topic has local commissioners questioning transparency, as seen here in a former OpGov.ai report. Or many believe the acquisition is going way too fast, as read here in our media outlet's coverage.
Recently, State Representative Allison Tant brought to light a potential solution- a special tax district, which would tax TMH, with the intent of profiting from the merger.
The idea has been profusely shot down, even by Tant herself.
Representative Tant, FSU, TMH, and Grow Tallahassee have all made statements disapproving of any potential tax in a joint FSU, TMH press release.
“This collaboration will enhance healthcare access, advance medical education, and improve health outcomes for all residents,” according to the release. “Taxes have never been a part of our conversations, and they never will."
(Photo: Florida State University News)
With major parties quick to respond to the potential tax, they may have jumped the gun.
Grow Tallahassee, the economic development group, which Representative Tant credited the special tax to, denied the proposition and, in a similar fashion, denounced the idea.
The news of a tax comes just weeks after the city commissioners voted 3-2 to move forward with the sale, allowing the city manager to create a sale price.
In the dissenting opinion, Commissioner Jeremy Matlow expressed concerns about a lack of equity and transparency, ultimately concluding that it was not in the best interest of moving forward. To Matlow’s credit, the city commissioners are not following regulated procedures for the sale.
According to Tallahassee’s City Commission Policy Manual, the real estate ordinance requires two independent appraisers to give price estimates on property over $300,000. With TMH expected to be valued at hundreds of millions, the commissioners approved only one appraising firm (Ankura).
They gave the other spot to the city manager, who will also contribute to negotiating the deal.
Tomorrow, the NAACP, which has been vocal with its disapproval of the merger, hosts a community town hall meeting; meanwhile, the commissioners have approved an additional, potentially final meeting to close the acquisition.
The next city hall meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 and will not include FSU and TMH on the agenda; negotiations are expected to be further along by December.
The next meeting should alleviate the concerns of the dissenting commissioners, as full details and a clear understanding are necessary to conclude a sale successfully. The city commissioners still retain veto power over the sale, even if the other parties mutually agree on the terms.
3-2 votes are incredibly common in Tallahassee’s city hall, and have been frequent in every voting step thus far for the acquisition, as seen in my last report. With Commissioner Matlow and Porter often alone in any vote opposing progressing a sale, you can expect a sale to pass in a similar fashion once scheduled, barring any unexpected changes.
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