TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Behind-the-scenes maneuvering and calls busted into the open this week when Democratic State Representative Allison Tant posted that an influential pro-business political committee floated the idea of a new tax district to pay for what is set to become \u201cFSU Health.\u201d<\/p>\n
One problem: Bugra Demirel, the chairperson for Grow Tallahassee, denies pushing the idea of a new tax and said it just isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n
Two of the three main players in the saga, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare and Florida State University, declined to comment or didn\u2019t respond to our request for comment.<\/p>\n
Requests for comment from Mayor John Dailey and Commissioners Dianne Williams-Cox, Curtis Richardson, Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter are pending.<\/p>\n
While the situation seems to evolve more and more each day, at last check, TMH supported an idea put forward by Williams-Cox<\/a> to expand the FSU Health Board to 19 seats, ensuring TMH maintains a one-seat majority in the years to come.<\/p>\n That\u2019s different from a proposal accepted by FSU, where Florida A&M would gain one of FSU\u2019s seats, while Tallahassee State College would gain one of TMH\u2019s seats. In that proposal, the state government would indirectly take control of the board.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n Grow Tallahassee has posted a Q&A on its website<\/a> about the TMH-FSU deal and said it has been acting as a go-between and guiding conversations behind the scenes.<\/p>\n Demirel confirmed he did have a phone conversation with Rep. Tant in recent weeks, but he vehemently denied ever floating the idea of a special taxing district. Rep Tant, on the other hand, is adamant Grow Tallahassee did put forth the idea, and she indicated she would withdraw her support for the partnership if new taxes were imposed.<\/p>\n Gaining federal and state money was identified as a main reason for the partnership, as FSU could secure research and other dollars. <\/p>\n In an interview with WCTV, Rep. Tant went on to say any special tax would need to be passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. That\u2019s the first real talk of legislative involvement, as negotiations have so far been between FSU, TMH and the City of Tallahassee.<\/p>\n So far, city commissioners have voted 3-2 to advance the sale under a previous framework that did not include board seats for TSC and FAMU, though a majority of commissioners have voiced support for their inclusion. It\u2019s unclear if the deal would be killed if the seats weren\u2019t added, or added in a way that gives the state indirect control.<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, the commission voted 3-2 to authorize the city manager to negotiate a sale price, which he previously told WCTV he envisions payment over time instead of a lump sum. However, no sale price has been announced and no final vote has been scheduled so far.<\/p>\n Separately, the NAACP announced a \u201ccommunity town hall\u201d at the Watson Temple Institutional Church of God in Christ on Tuesday, November 18, from 6-8 p.m.<\/p>\n The town hall comes after the NAACP broke with Black faith leaders<\/a> in not supporting the deal, leading to dueling statements<\/a> between the NAACP and Rev. RB Holmes.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n