Tampa Bay EDC strikes deal with Tampa General to support medical district
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 25, 2023

The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council and Tampa General Hospital have entered into a partnership to boost the hospital’s burgeoning medical district in downtown Tampa.

The EDC and TGH have entered a memorandum of understanding for the next five years. Under the five-year MOU, the EDC will offer support services, including “a land use survey and planning, strategic partnership creation, talent attraction, research and life science business recruitment, workforce housing project identification and marketing services,” the two entities said Wednesday.

The EDC will also hire a health care and life sciences director to serve as a project manager for the scope of the MOU.

“This partnership aligns perfectly with the EDC’s own strategic plan goals for business recruitment, placemaking and talent attraction and development — allowing our team to exercise its diverse strengths in the creation and promotion of this innovative new district that will shape the economic future of our region,” EDC CEO Craig Richard said in a statement.

TGH CEO John Couris envisions a medical district bookended by the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine in Water Street and TGH’s Kennedy Boulevard campus, which includes a behavioral health hospital, rehabilitation facility and a forthcoming freestanding emergency room.

“Tampa Bay not only serves as home to Tampa General Hospital/Florida Health Sciences Center, one of the nation’s leading academic health systems, but is a growing hub for innovation, research and biotechnology,” Couris said in a statement. “This city is uniquely well-positioned to fuel a world-class medical and research district, and we are excited to partner with the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council to expand this further and amplify its impact.”