Former Williston Hospital Closes Down, Goes Dark, Leaving Trail of Back Taxes

The front yard sign of Regional General Hospital stands in an overgrown yard. The hospital itself is beginning to look abandoned.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

The former Regional General Hospital in Williston is nothing more than an empty building at this point with no electricity hooked to it.

These two notices indicating the emergency room would reopen were never torn down when the owners vacated the property.

A small amount of equipment and furnishings was left behind and is being sold in an online a county tax auction that started on Dec. 23 and closes Jan. 14.

Williston City Manager Scott Lippmann said the order disconnecting the electricity to the vacant hospital was issued on Aug. 21, 2019.

“I think we found out they had closed the doors and weren’t doing anything, so we shut it off,” Lippmann said.

He said the city hasn’t zeroed out the power account. He said a small power bill hasn’t been paid. He estimated the unpaid power bill would be a maximum of $1,000.

A once busy emergency room stands empty at the back of the former Regional General Hospital.

Owner Jorge Perez owes the county $391,327 in delinquent real estate taxes and about $85,000 in tangible taxes for the contents of the hospital.

Michelle Langford, tax department supervisor for the Levy County Tax Collector, said the county is holding the tax certificates for real estate taxes. She said the county felt holding the certificates was the best thing to do during the bankruptcy proceedings, which have ended. The certificates for the years 2012-19 can be sold in April of 2021.

Assuming someone wants to take ownership of the hospital, the new owner would have to fork over $391,317 in back property taxes.

Langford said people have expressed an interest in the hospital until they heard how much in back taxes were owed.

“I’ve had a couple of people call and say they are interested, but when they find out the back taxes are 300,000 and some dollars, they back off,” she said.

The tangible taxes were handled in a different way. Tax Collector Linda Fugate obtained a warrant to seize the contents of the hospital. She and a collection firm, Revenue Recovery, did a walk through to identify what was left. Fugate said kitchen equipment and a few hospital beds were about all that was left behind. Perez removed the most expensive equipment.

The rear of the hospital looks dreary under overcast skies.

The ongoing online auction is an effort to recover as much of the $85,000 in delinquent tangible property taxes as possible. Langford said the county will look at other recovery options if the auction doesn’t generate enough money to pay off the delinquent tangible taxes, including the possibility of placing liens against bank accounts.

People interested in bidding on the remaining equipment and furnishings can contact the Tax Collector’s office for the auction website address.

The only part of the hospital complex still in operation is a double wide trailer in front of the hospital housing a cardiologist. The cardiologist has maintained the building well and is current on the power bill, Lippmann said.