Florida State and Florida A&M universities recently racked up millions in rural healthcare funding from the state’s governor.
In an Aug. 11 announcement, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said nearly $188 million in awards was distributed – including a total of $19.1 million for FSU and $10.2 million for FAMU – to strengthen health care in rural communities across the state’s northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest regions.
“These investments in rural Florida will strengthen hospitals and clinics, expand the rural health care workforce and help ensure Floridians can access high-quality care in their own communities,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement.
The money was distributed in the form of grants through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which is a five-year, $50 billion initiative authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law in July 2025.
Besides FSU and FAMU, the other universities that received grants from the first round of funding were Florida International University, the University of South Florida and Nova Southeastern University. Chipola College in Marianna and South Florida State College in Avon Park were also awarded, along with several hospitals, rural health clinics, and other health care providers and community organizations across the state.
The grants come as FSU works on expanding its FSU Health initiative, which included acquiring ownership of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s campus from the city in a controversial process earlier this year.
“FSU received the largest award among Florida’s higher education institutions and was the state’s second-largest recipient overall,” FSU President Richard McCullough said in a prepared statement, referring to its recent awards.
“This remarkable investment reflects the strength of our partnerships, the expertise of our faculty, and the important work being done through FSU Health and the College of Medicine to address healthcare challenges in communities across our state.”
FSU’s College of Medicine, established in 2000, was created with the goal of shoring up a pipeline of primary care physicians to address the health needs of rural and underserved patients through community-based clinical training.
At the same time, FAMU received a bit more money compared to FSU when it comes to the state’s northwest region, with $10.2 million compared to FSU’s $7 million. The remainder of FSU’s awarded grants – $12.1 million – will address communities in Florida’s southwest quadrant.
Donald Palm, FAMU’s Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Enterprise and Research Innovation, said the award will allow the university to work “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the communities it serves.
“Our goal is to improve health outcomes, strengthen communities and create a sustainable rural health ecosystem that can serve as a model for Florida and the nation.” Palm said in a prepared statement.
Regarding the state’s northwest region, it’s where a $414 million FSU Health Hospital is currently under construction in Panama City Beach − with a slated opening date of 2028 − while an FSU Health Research Center is scheduled to open this fall on TMH’s campus. Also, FAMU has plans to open a Health and Wellness Clinic directly across from its main campus after recently acquiring approximately 0.94 acres of property along South Adams Street for $950,000.
FAMU plans to use its funding for four projects, including one that will support clinical services at two Quincy-area sites in Gadsden County, according to the university.
“This extraordinary investment affirms Florida A&M University’s historic mission and our covenant with the people of this state − to translate excellence in education, research and service into measurable improvements in the lives of the rural communities we serve,” FAMU President Marva Johnson said in a university release.
When it comes to FSU’s ties to the state’s southwest region, the university operates an Immokalee Health Education Site and sponsors residency and fellowship programs at several hospitals in the area.
FSU will uses the awarded funds from the program to cover the costs of two projects in northwest Florida that will tackle food insecurity, preventive care and at-home care as well as four projects in the state’s southwest region that will include focuses on workforce development and behavioral health.
The overall Rural Health Transformation Program will support over 80 awards serving communities across 31 rural counties. For a list of the awardees, award amounts and project details, visit https://flgov.com/eog/sites/default/files/shared/2026/08/RHTP%20-%20PDF.pdf.
Tarah Jean can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
FSU, FAMU awarded millions for rural healthcare transformation – Tallahassee Democrat
