The Florida Senate unanimously passed HB 4043 on March 11, requiring the Citrus County Hospital Board to adopt a dissolution plan by Sept. 30.
The hospital board owns the property of HCA Florida Citrus Hospital in Inverness. The measure eliminates the hospital board effective Oct. 1 and transfers all assets to the Citrus County Board of Commissioners, according to the most recent version of the bill.
The dissolution follows the conclusion of a legal dispute with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration over alleged Medicaid overpayments. The agency initially claimed nearly $5.9 million had been overpaid to the hospital. The matter was settled in June 2024 for $650,000 after years of appeals and negotiations.
Established in 1949 as a special taxing district, the board historically “levied up to three mills of property tax” to fund operations and ensure hospital access for local residents, Citrus County Chronicle reported Oct. 17.
The board began phasing out property tax collections in 2011. State legislation in 2014 allowed it to lease hospital facilities to for-profit operators. That change enabled HCA Healthcare to assume operations of then-Citrus Memorial Hospital, while the board retained ownership of the property.
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