FRANKLIN—David Fuller, chief executive officer of Southampton Memorial Hospital, is leaving Oct. 1 to accept a promotion and become the CEO at a larger hospital in Florida.

Kim Marks, the current assistant CEO, will serve as interim CEO during the search for a permanent replacement.

Fuller said Friday he has “mixed” feelings about leaving the job he’s held since 2007.

“I consider myself privileged to have been a part of this community and a part of this hospital’s history,” he said. “We have completely loved being in Franklin.”

Fuller’s new job is at North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview. The acute care hospital generates about 2½ times the net revenue of Southampton Memorial, he said.

Both hospitals are operated by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems.

When Fuller joined Southampton Memorial three years ago, his focus was to build a culture based on service and quality patient care.

“The standards at Southampton Memorial Hospital have been raised tremendously under David’s leadership, and that excellent patient care will continue,” said Charles Wrenn, chairman of the hospital’s Board of Trustees. “We thank David for his many contributions to quality healthcare for the Franklin community and wish him much success in his new role.”

Fuller credits the hospital’s success with its staff.

“In 20 years of doing this, I have gotten to where I’m not amazed anymore over the caliber of people that are providing care on daily basis in rural communities like Southampton Memorial,” he said. “These are Class A people that know what they’re doing and don’t get a lot of credit.

“They don’t just do their jobs, they go beyond,” he said.

Anne Williams, the hospital’s marketing director, said patient and employee satisfaction scores increased under Fuller’s leadership. She also noted his open door leadership policy.

“I think that open attitude went a long way towards helping these scores,” Williams said. “We wish him well on his new adventure down in Florida. We’re going to be in very capable hands.”