Ormond Beach, FL - The hospital that has been ravaged and damaged by two hurricanes is now on the market according to Florida Hospital.
The announcement of the sale came as a surprise to Ormond Beach city officials, especially when Florida Hospital originally announced two months ago that they planned to tear down the ailing building before they repair and reopen it.
While it seems the plans have changed, Lindsay Cashio, the spokesperson for Florida Hospital, says that it's still part of the plan to tear down the building, but it's not set to happen anytime soon.
"Right now we're testing the market, we're trying to determine if there's an appetite for this property," says Cashio. "For the next three to six months we'll determine what the interest is but that building will still be there for the next few months."
According to Cashio, they plan on either selling the entire property or part of the property. Cashio also talked about a possible partnership to redevelop the property.
But the concerns residents have is the decrepit building's impact on the community, or what the impact of an empty lot would have if and when it's torn down. But, Cashio says that Florida Hospital plans on being "good neighbors."
"We have and will continue to keep the property up, we do not want the area to look blighted (so) we will continue to maintain that hospital property."
If and when the property sells, Cashio says Florida Hospital will still have a presence in the Ormond Beach community, saying that if Florida Hospital were to sell the property they would look for a new location to serve the beachside community from.
