Lake Shore Hosp. Auth.: Not a Pretty Picture Update presented to Legislative Delegation
November 4, 2025 4:38 pm | 3 min read
The Lake Shore Hospital Authority's Shands at Lake
Shore. Photo taken after the Legislative Delegation
meeting.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – During last Tuesday's Columbia County Legislative Delegation meeting, Barbara Lemley gave a broad-scope Lake Shore Hospital Authority update to Senator Bradley and Representative Brannon. It wasn't a pretty picture.
Ms. Lemley was invited to the podium by Senator Bradley and wished the Delegation a good morning. Ms. Lemley wasted no time getting to the point.:
Barbara Lemley addresses the Legislative Delegation.
"During the 2019 Legislative Delegation meeting, former Senator Rob Bradley suggested the County needed to send a message to the legislature regarding what the County thought about continuing the Lake Shore Hospital Authority.
Four years later, in 2023, three years after the Shands’ at Lake Shore hospital was vacated, the County Commission put a non-binding referendum on the ballot to see if the public wanted the Authority to be abolished.
The public overwhelmingly voted to abolish the Authority.
The Hospital Authority, whose members are appointed by the Governor, thumbed its collective nose at the will of the people, even though it was well aware of the referendum's results.
For years, I have mentioned to this delegation that
the Authority Board is out of compliance with its
enabling legislation, which requires: “One member [of
the board] shall be a physician engaged in the practice
of medicine at the Lake Shore Hospital.”
Now, this will never happen, since there is no longer an operating hospital.
The hospital building has been vacant for five years at a cost approaching $5 million.
There is a possibility Meridian Behavioral Health will acquire the property. This is problematic because it will leave the Hospital Authority without a hospital.
In 2020, board member Stephen Douglas, a general contractor, called the building a dinosaur.
The hospital roof was leaking, which has gotten worse due to the dereliction of the Authority’s board and executive director. The board attorney is now claiming that the building is a safety hazard and out of compliance with the local building code.
The board is now looking to give Meridian almost 2 1/2 million dollars of public money to do repairs due to Authority negligence.
The Authority has been so mismanaged that as of October 13, 2025, it reported having only 12 active members. This is down from over 1,000 before the ACA. The Authorities' last pharmacy program report was in August. It served one client.
The Authority has declared multiple properties as surplus, and contrary to the Authority’s enabling legislation, is looking to go into the economic development business with these properties, even though the city of Lake City and Columbia County have expressed interest in obtaining these surplus properties, which have been obtained with county and city tax dollars.
Finally, the Authority agreed to provide Palms Medical with $3 million to renovate an Authority-owned property located only 2 miles from its existing community clinic.
Additionally, in a deal worked out by the legendary auditor Richard Powell, the authority agreed to compensate Palms Medical out of public funds for up to $1.9 million of losses over its first three years of operation.
Columbia County is proposing two bills for the upcoming legislative session about dissolving the Authority. The County, despite the will of the people, wants the Authority to continue in a re-fried form. It appears the Authority wants to perpetuate itself.
All remaining funds should be designated for an indigent care trust fund.
Indigent care is the primary public purpose for which the Authority was created.
By establishing this fund, the legislature will be following the will of the people."
Note: there are minor gramatical edits in this version. Other than that, it is verbatim.