BayCare plans new hospital in Manatee County
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 27, 2022

BayCare Health System is opening a new hospital in Manatee County, which it expects to open by the end of 2025.

Clearwater-based BayCare said in a release that the hospital will “support expanding health care needs of the rapidly growing community.” BayCare is working to obtain the necessary zoning approvals. The Manatee County development will be BayCare’s 17th acute care hospital.

“As with all our hospitals and services, our mission in Manatee County is to improve the health of all we serve,” BayCare President and CEO Tommy Inzina said in a release. “That means when we build this hospital, we will extend to Manatee residents our longstanding tradition of community benefit.”

The hospital will be at the northeast corner of Moccasin Wallow Road and Interstate 75. BayCare already has BayCare HomeCare in Manatee County — a home health service.

BayCare Medical Group will also open an adult primary care practice in Palmetto at The Shoppes of Moccasin Wallow, located at 96th St. E, by the end of the year.

BayCare currently operates 15 hospitals in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties. The not-for-profit health care system has repeatedly been recognized as a top employer in Tampa Bay. It currently has approximately 27,739 team members, according to the release, and is one of the largest employers in Tampa Bay.

The company is also building a new hospital in Wesley Chapel — expected to open in 2023 — and a replacement hospital for South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City. For both new facilities, the hospital is installing infrastructure that offers room for growth outside of the initial build.

According to the release, the building permit application for the hospital in Manatee County requests up to 207 private patient rooms, but the initial construction will “likely have a smaller bed count.” The exact hospital size, construction costs, jobs and timelines are still being determined.