Tallahassee, FL - The Senate has approved a bill that would clear the way for a new Central Florida hospital after a legal battle about the issue.
Senators voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a bill (HB 523) that would allow the public Halifax Hospital Medical Center to operate hospitals outside the boundaries of its taxing district. The measure stems from a legal battle about a decision by Halifax, which is based in Daytona Beach, to build a hospital in Deltona, which is outside the district boundaries.
After a legal challenge to the decision, a circuit judge ruled that Halifax did not have the authority to issue bonds for the hospital outside the boundaries. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the circuit judge’s decision. The House, however, unanimously passed the bill last month to allow the hospital.
With the Senate’s approval, the bill now will go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
