North Port Breaks Ground on First Hospital, Paving Way for Regional Health Care Hub

Sarasota Memorial Hospital broke ground Friday on North Port's first hospital. The nine-story building will open with 100 beds and serve one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It will provide intensive care, surgical care, and emergency care when it opens in fall 2028.

The campus sits on the east side of Sumter Boulevard near the I-75 interchange. A medical office building with physician practices and parking will accompany the main structure.

"I mean, we have the land, we have the opportunity, we have the population," said North Port Mayor Phil Stokes, according to Fox 4. "So it's only a matter of time before we truly become the south county medical mecca."

North Port's population jumped from 57,357 people in 2010 to 85,099 in 2022, according to city data. Realty website Quicken Loans ranked the city the second-fastest growing in the U.S. in 2023.

The SMH board voted in July to add three floors of shell space to the structure, which doubled capacity from 100 beds to 208. The shell space won't be used right away. But the extra floors give the health system flexibility to expand when needed.

Programs will include cardiology, orthopedics, and neurology. SMH operates a freestanding emergency room off Toledo Blade Boulevard that opened in 2009.

Multiple health care providers are planning facilities in the area. Development Services Director Alaina Ray updated commissioners this week on several projects, though she cautioned some plans are in early stages.

Orlando-based AdventHealth purchased a 17.4-acre parcel off U.S. 41 between Salford Boulevard and Cranberry Boulevard. AdventHealth proposed a standalone 24-bed emergency room. Future phases could include a full-scale hospital and medical offices.

Texas-based Exalt Health announced plans to build a 40-bed rehabilitation center off U.S. 41 between Pinot Drive and Mezzo Drive, Ray said. The company also plans a 40,000-square-foot medical office on the same parcel.

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System will replace its Port Charlotte clinic with one in North Port.