After toying with the idea of compensating its board members for what was once considered a public service, Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital's board has decided not to move forward with the controversial plan, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Tampa Bay Times broke news earlier this week that the nonprofit hospital's board of directors voted last fall 14-1 to compensate themselves, which drove the only member who voted against compensation, David A. Straz Jr., to quit the board of directors in protest. Board member Erika Wallace wanted her vote changed three months after the fact because a bad phone connection made her unable to hear the discussion, according to the report.
Board chairman John A. Brabson Jr. rescinded the plan just two days after the initial report, according to the newspaper. "While I believe providing compensation to board members will become a recruiting tool in the future, the board believes this is not the right time to move in that direction," Mr. Brabson wrote in a statement, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "After talking to the hospital's senior leadership, the board has determined it is in the best interest of the hospital to no longer consider board compensation."
The board stipend was considered because a compensation consultant advised the board there was a "small but growing trend" to do so, according to the report. Mr. Brabson said the intent was for the compensation to fuel recruitment efforts beyond the Tampa Bay area, according to the report.
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