(1) The board of trustees of each public health trust shall be deemed to exercise a public and essential governmental function of both the state and the county and in furtherance thereof it shall, subject to limitation by the governing body of the county in which such board is located, have all of the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the operation and governance of designated health care facilities, including, but without limiting the generality of, the foregoing:

(a) To sue and be sued; however, this provision shall not be construed to affect in any way the laws relating to governmental immunity.

(b) To have a seal and alter the same.

(c) To make and adopt bylaws and rules and regulations for the board’s guidance and for the operation, governance, and maintenance of designated facilities not inconsistent with ordinances of the county.

(d) To make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary to exercise the powers of the board.

(e) To acquire by purchase or otherwise, and to hold title to, any property, real or personal, useful to the purposes of the board.

(f) To lease, either as lessee or lessor, or rent for any number of years and upon any terms and conditions real property, except that the board shall not lease or rent, as lessor, any real property other than office space controlled by a public health trust, except in accordance with the requirements of s. 125.35, Florida Statutes 1973.

(g) To appoint a chief executive officer of the trust and to remove such an appointee.

(h) To establish rates and charges for those using the facilities of, or receiving care or assistance from, the board and to collect money pursuant thereto.

(i) To accept gifts of money, services, or real or personal property.

(j) To appoint, remove, or suspend employees or agents of the board, fix their compensation, and adopt personnel and management policies.

(k) To provide for employee benefits, including, but not limited to, the benefits required by s. 154.10(5) and those benefits provided by s. 154.12(1).

(l) To cooperate with and contract with any governmental agency or instrumentality, federal, state, municipal, or county.

(m) To adopt and amend rules and regulations for the management and use of any properties under its control.

(n) To appoint originally the staff of physicians to practice in a designated facility owned or operated by the board and to approve the bylaws and rules to be adopted by the medical staff of a designated facility owned and operated by the board; such governing regulations shall provide, among other things, for the method of appointing additional staff members and for the removal of staff members.

(o) To employ certified public accountants to audit and analyze the records of the board and to prepare financial or revenue statements of the board; however, this paragraph shall not in any way affect any responsibility of the Auditor General pursuant to s. 11.45.

(p) To employ legal counsel.

(2) A public health trust shall have no power to impose any tax or issue bonds of any nature, nor shall it have the power to require the imposition of a tax or the issuance of any bond by the governing body of the county.

History.—ss. 5, 6, ch. 73-102; s. 39, ch. 2001-266; s. 1, ch. 2013-93; s. 1, ch. 2014-120.