Board Hires Attorney For Possible Tax Battle

As expected, the Hernando School Board has hired an attorney to go after what the district claims is nearly $1 million in back taxes owed by the owners of Brooksville and Spring Hill Regional hospitals.

The five-member board voted unanimously Tuesday night to retain the services of the Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson to gear up for possible legal action against Health Manangement Associates Hernando.

HMA owes the district ad valorem taxes on three properties it leases from the county, which are the two hospitals and the PineBrook Medical Center, attorney Robert Nabors wrote in a recent letter to the board.

The school board has a good chance at succeeding if the case went to court, Nabors wrote, citing past court cases involving private firms leasing land for proprietary purposes.

The back taxes for the years 2006 and 2007 could run as high as $986,000, the board's attorney has said.

HMA has called the claim neither "valid nor enforceable."

In other action, the school board passed on the purchase of about 19 acres off Suncoast Boulevard, south of Orchard Road.

The district had negotiated a price of $800,000 for a future school site. But when it came time to make a motion to approve the purchase, the board was silent.

Finally, board member Pat Fagan spoke up. Fagan said the site was too small for a school and didn't want the district to have to deal with problems such as limited parking that come with cramped conditions.