Citizen & Community Advocates for Best-In-Class Hospital Operator
Who's Who?
The Lower Florida Keys Hospital District
State Governing Entity over District Hospitals
Website: http://www.lfkhdb.com/general-information
Special Districts are governed generally pursuant to Chapter 189, Florida Statutes.
Public Purpose: The Board of the District is authorized to establish, construct, lease, operate and maintain a hospital or hospital, medical facilities, and other health care related facilities and services as in its opinion shall be necessary for the use of the people of the District. The hospital, or hospitals, medical facilities, and other health care related facilities and services shall be established, constructed, leased, operated and maintained by the Board for the preservation of the public health, for the public good, and for the use of the public of the District, and maintenance of such hospital or hospitals, medical facilities, or other health care related facilities or services within the District is found and declared to be a public purpose and necessary for the preservation of the public health and welfare of the District and inhabitants thereof.
The Lower Florida Keys Health System
Partnership between "The District" and Kennedy Drive Investors, LTD.
Created in May 1990 between The Lower Florida Keys Hospital District, and, Kennedy Drive Investors, LTD (owners of the dePoo Hospital), to combine Key West's (2) Hospitals, Lower Keys Medical Center (The District Hospital), and the (dePoo Hospital).
Lower Keys Medical Center
5900 College Road, Key West FL 33040
Website: https://www.lkmc.com/
Established in 1971, Lower Keys Medical Center (LKMC) is licensed as a 167-bed acute care hospital with 24 hour emergency department care, laboratory and radiology services, and medical transport.
LKMC is a Public Hospital, governed by The Lower Florida Keys Hospital District and its Board of Commissioners.
LKMC is operated by Community Health Systems (CHS), a Public for profit company (CYH) headquartered in Franklin Tn. CHS purchased LKMC in their acquisition of Health Management Associates in 2014. Under the terms of the purchase, CHS assumed HMA's 30 year lease, which expires on April 30th 2029. There is no provision for an extension.
Kennedy Drive - formerly dePoo Hospital
1200 Kennedy Drive, Key West FL 33040
Website: https://www.lkmc.com/
The Kennedy Drive Facility is privately owned by Kennedy Drive Investments, Ltd. Under a collaborative agreement between the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District, and Kennedy Drive in 1990, the Lower Florida Keys Hospital System was created as a means to combine Key West's 2 Hospitals into one, then subsequently leasing them together to Key West HMA, which was purcased by CHS. (See above).
The Kennedy Drive Facility is currently operated by CHS, under the former lease with HMA, and as with Lower Keys Medical Center, the lease to CHS expires on April 30th, 2029 with no provision for automatic extension.
Health Management Associates
Previous Owners / Operators of Lower Keys Medical Center
Health Management Associates were the original Hospital Owner / Operators between The Lower Florida Keys Hospital District (System, rather), in 1999 for both the Lower Keys Medical Center and the dePoo Hospital.
Community Health Services acquired HMA in 2014, assuming the leases between the Lower Florida Keys Hospital System and HMA.
Community Health Systems
4000 Meridian Boulevard
Franklin, Tennessee, 37067
Website: https://www.chs.net/
Investor Relations: https://www.chs.net/investor-relations/
SEC Filings: https://www.chs.net/investor-relations/sec-filings/
Community Health Systems (CHS), a Public for profit company (CYH) headquartered in Franklin Tn. CHS purchased LKMC (including both the District Hospital, Lower Keys Medical Center and Kennedy Drive, formerly the dePoo Hospital), in their acquisition of Health Management Associates in 2014.
Under the terms of the purchase, CHS assumed HMA's 30 year lease, which expires on April 30th 2029. There is no provision for an extension.
When CHS purchased Lower Keys Medical Center through it's highly-leveraged buyout of HMA in 2014, CHS owned 206 Hospitals. Touting their expertise in Hospital management and goals of superior profits through efficiencies of scale and operations, CHS positioned itself as one of the largest publicly-traded hospital companies in the United States and a leading operator of general acute care hospitals in communities across the country.
As of June 2026, CHS has "divested" 71%, or 146 of their 206 Hospitals including many in Florida. As of June 2026, CHS maintains it operates a remaining 60 Hospitals, however, CHS counts both the Kennedy Drive (de Poo) and LKMC Stock Island facility as two separate Hospitals.
Review CHS's Financials directly at CHS -https://www.chs.net/investor-relations/sec-filings/
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