May 21, 2013
A circuit judge has refused to block the sale of Northwest Florida Community Hospital in Chipley.
A local group of citizens had filed a lawsuit trying to block the sale to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
They claim Washington County Commissioners didn't act with the public's best interest in mind.
Circuit Judge Glenn Hess ruled the lawsuit had no legal basis. He did give the plaintiffs 15 days to re-file a request to stop the sale.
Over recent years, Northwest Florida Hospital has run millions of dollars in debt.
