TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Commissioner Jack Porter released a memo detailing a meeting she had with FSU President Rick McCullough that left her feeling “unsettled.”
McCullough, who initiated the meeting with Porter, “wanted to be upfront about his intent to ‘indoctrinate’ the commissioner, the commissioner wrote.
According to the memo, Porter assumed McCullough was talking about FSU’s purchase of TMH.
During the meeting, Porter said they discussed the proposed merger and McCullough’s belief that FSU was “best positioned to advance health care in the region.”
Porter said McCullough mentioned watching some of her prior campaign videos and suggested that both Porter and FSU had faced opposition from the “Tallahassee elite.”
In the memo, Porter said she agreed that the TMH Board, which McCullough aligned with the “Tallahassee elite,” had supported her political opponents before and that FSU Boosters had as well.
“I emphasized that these factors have never influenced my decision-making. I made clear that my position on the TMH-FSU hospital proposal stems from a genuine concern for the public interest, not from any bias toward or against FSU or TMH,” Porter said in the memo.
Porter detailed that McCullough told her the Boosters’ support can “all change” and that “they’ll support whomever I tell them to—they’ll support whoever supports FSU.”
She said she was “taken aback” by the statement and believed it implied if she were to support the deal, McCullough could influence the Boosters to provide support for her in the future.
The memo also claims McCullough offered to get Porter basketball tickets “the legal way.”
Porter’s memo ended with her stating she has not decided how she will vote on the sale of the hospital. “As always, my votes are guided by what I believe is in the public interest—not by any personal benefit—and informed by the feedback we receive from the community.”
You can read Commissioner Porter’s full memo below:
McCullough provided a statement on the October meeting saying he is “surprised and disappointed” at how the memo detailed the meeting and that he remembers the conversation “very differently and not nearly as politically nefarious as [Porter] portrays.”
I’m surprised and disappointed to hear this version of events because I recall my conversation with Commissioner Porter very differently and not nearly as politically nefarious as she portrays. The commissioner correctly stated that I would never attempt to improperly influence an elected official. Throughout my presidency, I have championed key community issues including improved healthcare. I have engaged with every commissioner to understand their goals. That’s why I invited Commissioner Porter to meet with me. I wanted to gain an understanding of her opposition to advancing healthcare in Tallahassee when the overwhelming majority of city residents are in favor of it.
I have attempted to build productive and civil working relationships with all the commissioners. Commissioner Porter’s mischaracterization and attempted distraction demonstrates yet again why the Tallahassee City Commission remains so deeply divided. She has failed to support the vision and initiatives the community expects for the future of Tallahassee.
Even when Commissioner Porter asked for my support for refugees and questioned why FSU doesn’t support her politically, she chose to interpret my words cynically and attribute them to non-existent ulterior motives.
As president, I will continue to work productively with the City of Tallahassee, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, and with anyone who joins Florida State University in the goal of improving access to high-quality healthcare.
City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow says the memo feels like “groundhogs day.”
“To me as an elected official, I really need to know who stands to gain from this deal, what people have been promised, whether it’s career opportunities or other types of compensation. I think that’s worrisome,” Matlow said.
He added he has more questions now than when the MOU between TMH and FSU was first announced.
“I think we’re a few months into this process and we have more questions now than ever before,” he said. “There were allegations of offers of basketball game tickets and all sorts of other things
The details of Porter’s meeting with McCullough come on the heels of a renewed effort to convince Tallahassee City Commissioners to press pause on a proposed deal to sell the city’s hospital to Florida State University.
Folks in Tallahassee may have woken up to a text on Monday morning from Tallahassee ALERT urging them to “Stop the TMH transfer.” The organization has secured meetings with Mayor John Dailey, Commissioners Jack Porter, Jeremy Matlow and Diane Williams-Cox.
Commissioner Curtis Richardson has yet to agree to a meeting, the group said, but it remains a possibility.
“Civic engagement is the cornerstone of local democracy. It doesn’t work effectively or adequately without it. So we want to get people into the practice of attending,” said Dr. Bruce Strouble, chair, Tallahassee ALERT.
The texts went out ahead of the commission’s Wednesday meeting. While TMH is not on the agenda, Tallahassee ALERT said it’s possible it comes up anyway during “commissioner time” or a general comment period.
Those texts are the latest in a long-running saga regarding the city-owned hospital. Currently, the city acts as the landlord, leaving all operations at the hospital to Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare.
But after TMH brought up the idea of changing its lease to a second hospital, the city explored the idea of selling the hospital to an outside organization.
FSU said it would buy the hospital. After acrimonious negotiations, TMH and FSU agreed to a non-binding MOU laying out who would have control of the new partnership and how it would work. City commissioners advanced the idea of a sale 3-2, but said they wanted Florida A&M University and Tallahassee State College to have a seat at the table.
That led to further negotiations that have not been finalized. While the city commission authorized the city manager to negotiate a sale price, no price has been announced.
Proponents of the sale say creating “FSU Health” would improve healthcare in Tallahassee because the university can conduct research, bring in better doctors and fund the operation at a higher level.
Detractors argue the city should not sell its asset to FSU because the university is ultimately controlled by the state government at the direction of the governor. Price and valuation also remain in dispute.
Matlow said he believes TMH signed the MOU under duress and that privately, folks there tell him they’re against the partnership.
“The doctors I talk to don’t want this, community members I talked to don’t want this. The only people who seem to want it are power players at Florida State and in the Governor’s mansion and Tallahassee shouldn’t go down that path,” he said.
Tallahassee ALERT’s “Stop the Transfer” campaign includes infographics which argue the city would “lose local control” and that residents “deserve better.”
“Once control is gone, it’s gone forever,” the campaign wrote. “We need to ensure that whatever happens to TMH, the needs of residents need to come first.”
WCTV sought comment from each commissioner and the mayor on Monday after the robotexts went out. So far, only Commissioners Porter and Matlow have responded.
“I have serious concerns about selling the hospital at this point, but I wholeheartedly support a partnership with FSU. And I think it’s important for the public to know that an academic medical center does not require a sale of the hospital,” said Porter. This statement came from an interview with Porter before WCTV learned about the memo.
We also sought comment from both FSU and TMH. TMH declined to comment on both the text campaign and Porter’s memo.
The next city commission meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10. While the hospital is not on the agenda, residents are welcome to address the commission directly, usually for three minutes each.
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