WILLISTON, FL (352today.com) – A long-vacant hospital that once served as a key medical facility in Levy County failed to attract any bidders at a tax deed auction Monday, April 13, 2026, leaving its future uncertain after years or financial collapse and abandonment.
The former Regional General Hospital in Williston went to auction at 10 a.m. at the Levy County Commission meeting room in Bronson, with an opening bid set at $1,291,760.04, according to the Levy County Clerk’s Office. The amount included delinquent taxes, interest, costs of sale and other assessments tied to the property.
Despite prior interest, no qualifying bids were submitted for the property, according to the clerk’s office. “There have been several inquiries,” said Jennifer Watkins, a tax deed clerk with the Levy County Clerk’s Office, referring to interest leading up to the sale.
Once a functioning hospital providing emergency care, surgeries and childbirth services, Regional General Hospital was for years a key medical access point for Williston and surrounding communities. The facility ultimately closed in 2019 after financial instability and mounting debt led to bankruptcy proceedings, ending operations and leaving the building vacant.
The facility faced ongoing financial strain in the years before its closure, including utility debt and operational challenges, as patients increasingly sought care at larger hospitals in Gainesville. Since shutting down, the building has remained largely unused. While the exterior has shown signs of wear, reports describe much of the interior as still intact, giving the appearance of a facility that was never fully dismantled after closing.
Additional complications surrounding the hospital’s ownership and operations were previously reported. Federal prosecutors said a former owner, Jorge Perez, was convicted in 2022 on charges including health care fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme involving fraudulent laboratory billing. He was later sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison. Authorities said the scheme involved more than $1 billion in fraudulent claims and contributed to the hospital’s financial collapse.
Under the tax deed process, because the property did not receive a qualifying bid, it will either revert to the certificate holder, who has 30 days to pay the required fees, or be placed on the county’s lands available list if that does not occur, according to the clerk’s office.
The failed auction leaves the former hospital’s long-term future unclear, continuing its yearslong status as a vacant landmark tied to the decline of rural health care access in the region.
