Tallahassee commission advances MOU to transfer TMH assets to Florida State after heated public hearing

Mayor John Evans Daly called the meeting to order and the commission moved to advance a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Florida State University that outlines a proposed transfer of assets tied to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) and directs staff to proceed toward definitive sale and lease documents.

The action, which the commission approved 3–2, follows a packed public hearing in which dozens of residents, students, medical faculty and community leaders testified both for and against the proposal. Supporters said the partnership would expand specialty care and training locally; critics said the city had not secured a fair price, had offered insufficient engagement, and risked surrendering community control to a state institution.

The MOU described at the meeting includes three principal payment and investment components that city negotiators highlighted: a $109 million payment spread over 30 years, a pledge that FSU will make about $100 million in capital improvements to the hospital within roughly 8½ years, and an additional commitment of about $150 million toward other facility‑related items and programmatic investments. "The first component is just a…