Commissioners back conveyance talks with Sincere Care; set 18‑month check‑in, 30‑ft easement and higher payoff amount

Suwannee County commissioners on Jan. 21 discussed a proposed conveyance of county-owned land to Sincere Care Foundation Inc. for construction of a women’s health clinic and advanced birthing services. The board did not take a formal final vote on the conveyance but directed staff to revise the draft agreement to include an 18‑month progress review, to reserve a 30‑foot utility easement along the parcel’s eastern boundary, and to increase the mortgage payoff amount from $500,000 to $750,000.

County Attorney told the board the draft agreement is structured as a sale secured by a county mortgage with benchmarks that, if met, reduce or cancel the county’s mortgage over time. Michelle Harris, Sincere Care’s representative, described a clinic model that would include primary care, behavioral health services, mammography and a planned advanced birthing center accreditation. “We will be building is a facility for all women,” Harris said, adding the facility would reduce travel times for pregnant residents who now “are traveling at least an hour for care and for delivery.”

Why it matters: Commissioners said the project could increase access to maternal and women’s health care in…