Commissioner wants compliance not confrontation in adding FAMU, TSC to new hospital board

City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox is standing by her call to have Florida A&M University and Tallahassee State College involved in the capital city's budding academic medical center, but she is open to approving a deal that doesn't give the two institutions an official seat at the table.

While the commissioner has been outspoken about FAMU and TSC representation on the newly proposed governance board at Tallahassee's local hospital, Williams-Cox said she wasn't going to give an ultimatum.

"I don't want to bully anyone," Williams-Cox told the Tallahassee Democrat. "I just want them to understand that this is very important to our community, and if that's what it's going to take to have our communities feel better, have some assurances about this, then it should definitely be considered."

She said she's keeping an open mind about the different ways this deal could take shape , and that all three parties — the city, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Florida State University — know her priorities.

TMH and FSU have recently signed an agreement to join forces and create the beginnings of an academic medical center in Tallahassee. The memorandum of understanding (MOU), which calls for FSU to take ownership of the hospital's city-owned assets, was presented to the city commission Oct. 1 for the commissioners to discuss and consider.

Why FAMU representation has become a sticking point

At the meeting, Williams-Cox pointed to the root of the concern. She noted the pain of  losing FAMU hospita l in the early 1970s after an integrated TMH took over the hospital and ultimately closed it down.

"In the community, there is a great distrust," Williams-Cox said. "But we can use what has happened in the past to help us make a better future by not repeating what has happened in the past."

Williams-Cox made it clear then that she thought FAMU and TSC should have a dedicated board member included in the hospital board, and she reiterated it again when she appeared on a social media interview Oct. 5 with Vaughn Wilson where she answered clarifying questions about the pending deal.

Her suggestion could send TMH and FSU negotiators back to the drawing board. One of the key friction points during negotiations was the makeup of the board, which ended with TMH ultimately having a slim majority in a 9-8 split. If city commissioners insisted on adding TSC and FAMU representatives that could dilute the majority or lead to the addition of two members.

"I was very clear that I strongly, strongly encourage a seat to be at the table for Florida A&M University, and that a seat is at the table for Tallahassee State College," Williams-Cox said to Wilson, owner of media production company Mega Ace Media and community advocate.

FSU and TMH leaders expressed hesitation but also a willingness to consider this and adjust the current agreement. Williams-Cox said she's hoping that it'll be woven into the deal without much pushback.

"If compliance doesn't work, we'll go to confrontation," she said during the video interview with Wilson.

The commissioner referenced a time when FAMU students weren't offered educational opportunities at TMH: "We ain't going back to that."

Williams-Cox says city residents will benefit from sale of 'prime real estate'

As the deal continues to take shape, the city and FSU are taking steps to determine a price for the hospital. Both sides have hired outside consultants to evaluate the hospital's worth, Williams-Cox said.

Currently, the hospital and all its assets are owned by the city and operated by TMH via a $1-a-year lease.

The MOU is contingent on the city transferring the lease to the university, but a price tag has yet to be established. Commissioners voted during the special Oct. 1 meeting to let the city manager start setting a price on the community-held asset estimated to be worth more than a billion dollars.

Once the city's and FSU's evaluations are complete, they will meet to negotiate, Williams-Cox said.

"We fully expect that we will get a valuation from someone who has experience … then use it to make a decision on how will the taxpayers benefit from this," she said.

Williams-Cox said the hospital is "prime real estate" and that the city isn't going to "fall for another $1 a year for this valuable asset."

"I want our citizens to know that we are doing the best job we can to make sure they can get healthy and stay healthy," she said.

Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at  ebarrera@tallahassee.com . Follow her on X:  @elenabarreraaa .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Push continues for FAMU, TSC inclusion in FSU-TMH hospital board