BayCare Commences Construction on 154-Bed Facility in Northern Manatee County

Key Information

• Project: BayCare Hospital Manatee
• Location: Moccasin Wallow Road at Interstate 75, Parrish, north Manatee County
• Cost: $563 million
• Size: 154-bed hospital and 45,000-square-foot medical building
• Opening: Hospital opening in 2028; HealthHub in 2026
• Significance: First nonprofit hospital in north Manatee County

BayCare Health System officially broke ground on its new hospital in north Manatee County on Wednesday, marking a significant development within a larger $563 million health care campus. This initiative represents a major step forward in healthcare accessibility for the region, housing a 288-acre residential-commercial project.

The upcoming BayCare Manatee hospital is strategically located on Moccasin Wallow Road at Interstate 75, just a mile north of the interchange with I-275 in Parrish, within the designated Robinson Gateway area. It will consist of a 154-bed facility positioned alongside a 45,000-square-foot medical building, where BayCare Medical Group providers will offer both primary and specialty medical services.

Featuring an outpatient “HealthHub” that will include laboratory and imaging services, this facility is set to open in 2026. When BayCare Manatee becomes operational in 2028, it will proudly represent the sole hospital in the northern portion of Manatee County, north of the Manatee River.

BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners highlighted the groundbreaking as a symbol of the positive changes ahead for Manatee County, pointing out that it will be the first nonprofit hospital in the region. “Our groundbreaking is just a symbol of what’s coming to Manatee County,” Conners proclaimed during the ceremony.

With its headquarters in Clearwater, BayCare currently operates 16 hospitals across Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, and Polk counties. Patrick Downs, who presides over St. Joseph’s Hospital South, stated that BayCare Manatee will function as a comprehensive acute care facility, offering a wide range of services including general surgery, orthopedics, specialty surgery, neurology, gastroenterology, and cardiology. A strong focus will also be placed on obstetrics.

“Currently, over 50 percent of women leave Manatee to deliver their babies,” Connors noted in remarks prepared for the media. “Our hope is that through our efforts, no mom ever has to leave their community, and babies can be born in the community in which they live.”

The Robinson Gateway development is poised to be a significant residential and retail hub, alongside plans for a hotel, contributing to the area’s ongoing population growth and the subsequent increase in demand for healthcare projects, including standalone emergency departments.