Big changes are coming from the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. With Southwest Florida’s population projected to surge from about 1.2 million to nearly 1.8 million over the next quarter century, SMH is pushing ahead with plans to buy around 120 acres along Manatee County’s rapidly growing State Road 64 corridor. This patch of land, just east of I-75, sits smack in the middle of SMH’s primary service area, one that covers four counties and keeps growing by the day.
The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board signed off on the almost $60 million deal on Tuesday. There’s one catch: SMH first needs to work with Manatee County leaders to rezone the land and hammer out development for the site. This isn’t the only property SMH has its eye on. Just this July, the board approved acquiring a 10-acre parcel nearby, giving direct access to SR 64, making expansion even easier.
“This is the kind of forward thinking that’s kept Sarasota Memorial strong for over a hundred years,” said SMH CEO David Verinder. “Building healthcare infrastructure takes time—years, in fact. By locking in key locations now, we’re not just boosting capacity for today. We’re making sure our growing population keeps easy access to care for generations to come.”
Development will happen gradually, shaped by what the community needs and the necessary regulatory green lights. First up, pending all approvals, SMH wants to put up a freestanding emergency department on the smaller, 10-acre site. After that, they’ll add physician practices, both primary care and specialties, plus pediatric services, imaging, labs, and other buildings that’ll eventually create a full hospital campus.
Why expand in Manatee?
The numbers speak for themselves. The SMH service area, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties, has seen a steep uptick in demand, and Manatee County is leading the growth, with a nearly 10% population jump expected over five years. Neighborhoods along the State Road 64 corridor, Parrish, Palmetto, and Lakewood Ranch, are expanding the fastest.
The push isn’t just about future trends. Manatee residents made up over 185,000 patient visits in 2025, about a quarter of SMH’s total. And since 2020, their Heritage Harbour outpatient facility has seen patient volume more than double. By growing in Manatee, SMH can ease crowding at its Sarasota campus, where beds, parking, and emergency services are often operating at capacity. Bringing routine and specialty care closer to Manatee residents means fewer folks have to travel to Sarasota for services they could get at home, freeing up space at the flagship for patients who truly need intensive, complex care.
There’s another piece: workforce. Nearly 3,500 SMH employees, around 30%, live in Manatee. The move not only supports healthcare needs but also creates jobs and shorter commutes for staff. As the region’s largest employer, SMH recognizes the connections between where it delivers care, where its workers live, and the future of both.
SMH CEO David Verinder sums it up like this: “Community lines don’t decide where people seek care, or where healthcare professionals want to work or live. Our job is to plan for the communities we serve now, and the ones that are still growing.”
Hospital Board Chair Kevin Cooper says making land purchases before growth hits full stride is part of the board’s mission to keep healthcare ahead of demand. He notes SMH’s history: they bought the Laurel Road property well before rolling out SMH-Venice in 2021 and picked up land for SMH-North Port back in 2007, years ahead of that hospital’s projected 2028 opening.
Investing in Manatee now, he says, puts SMH in the right spot to serve a swelling patient base in northern communities.
“The Sarasota Memorial mission is about delivering outstanding, innovative care. That idea is at the heart of all our future plans and investments,” Cooper says. “We want to protect access to top-tier healthcare for everyone in our region.”
It’s important to note that SMH is still the only public, community-owned health system in the area. SMH funds all of its expansion and out-of-county projects with operating revenue and intends for them to sustain themselves financially. Sarasota County allocates a small portion of public tax money, less than 5% of SMH’s revenue, only to local county facilities and care.
Sarasota Memorial Moving Forward with New Outpatient Cancer Center in Venice
Sarasota Memorial is pressing ahead with plans for a new outpatient cancer center in Venice, only a few months after unveiling the Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion at its main Sarasota campus. This new facility is the next step in widening the reach of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, bringing advanced cancer care closer to residents in south Sarasota County and nearby areas.
SMH began the Jellison Cancer Institute in 2020 so patients, families, and medical staff wouldn’t need to travel far for the latest treatments, research studies, and reliable support services. The new center will rise on Curry Lane, right next to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice campus.
Flagship acquired the 5-acre site in January 2025, and SMH is now leasing and finishing out the building. Once complete, it’ll offer a range of outpatient services, including specialized cancer and endoscopy care.
With this expansion, SMH aims to create a seamless system where cancer patients can get everything they need: diagnosis, treatment, support, close to home. “Cancer treatment often means juggling lots of appointments with different specialists over many months,” said Kelli Dancer, vice president of the Jellison Cancer Institute. “By building out these services in Venice, we’re making it easier for people here to get the care they need. It’s part of our commitment to bring top-level cancer care to everyone in our region.”
The Jellison Cancer Institute has quickly grown into one of Florida’s busiest cancer programs, serving thousands of local patients with a full team of experts, advanced technology, research, and strong support systems. The impact is clear: before the Institute opened, about half of local cancer patients had to leave town for advanced care. Now, that number has dropped to roughly 30 percent, and SMH isn’t stopping there. The goal: allow even more patients to stay close to home for the best possible treatment.
Dancer puts it plainly: “When patients can get high-quality cancer care right here, they spend more time healing and less time on the road. The Venice center is a key move in our plan to deliver a comprehensive cancer program for our growing community.”
Plans call for the first floor to house a radiation oncology center, along with clinics for medical, surgical, and radiation oncology physicians. Patients will also find infusion services, advanced imaging, and supportive care all in the same building. The third floor will accommodate the endoscopy center and offices for SMH’s gastroenterologists, while the second floor will serve future growth.
Site preparation is already underway. Once they approve the permits and construction plans, Flagship will erect the building shell, and SMH’s design and construction team will complete the specialized spaces. They plan to open in 2028.
The Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute at Sarasota Memorial
The Jellison Cancer Institute covers the full spectrum of cancer care, from prevention and early detection through treatment, clinical research, and long-term support. The Institute includes an 8-story inpatient and surgical tower and a 7-story outpatient pavilion at the Sarasota campus, an outpatient Radiation Oncology Center on University Parkway, and soon, a new cancer center next to the Venice hospital. To learn more, visit smh.com/cancer.
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
It’s the region’s leading medical network, making up the biggest employer in Sarasota County. Nearly 2,500 physicians and advanced providers, 11,000 staff, and two million patients visit each year. The system boasts two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, with a third on the way in North Port, plus rehab, skilled nursing, urgent care, and specialty doctor practices dotted across the region. The main Sarasota campus, founded in 1925, is also home to the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion, and Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute. Both hospital locations routinely claim the top 5-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In fact, SMH-Sarasota is the only hospital in Florida, and one of just eleven in the country, to have earned that perfect score every year since the CMS program launched in 2016.
Another major development at SMH is that CEO David Verinder has taken on the role of chair of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida for a second term. He’ll hold the post for two years, leading a 14-member board packed with CEOs from top teaching, public, children’s, and intensive care hospitals. The Alliance stands up for hospitals that serve Florida’s most vulnerable patients, providing critical and specialized services while training future doctors.
In this role, Verinder isn’t just helping steer policy; he’s shaping the statewide conversation on how to fund and sustain quality care for everyone in Florida. Safety net hospitals like SMH, though making up just 10% of Florida’s hospitals, carry the largest load in caring for underserved communities, reinvesting everything back into local services, people, and innovations.
“Florida’s safety-net hospitals shoulder an enormous responsibility to make sure people get care—no matter what,” Verinder said. “I’m proud to once again lead the Alliance and work alongside hospital leaders who are every bit as committed to our mission. It’s about making sure we have strong, sustainable health systems long into the future.”
Verinder has spent the last 12 years as SMH’s President and CEO, after earlier stints as COO and CFO. With 30 years in healthcare leadership, including as past Alliance chair and long-time board member, he brings deep, practical expertise to the job.
SMH is the region’s medical anchor and a cornerstone employer. Founded nearly a century ago, Sarasota Memorial has grown into a two-hospital system (with a third coming soon), numerous ERs, outpatient clinics, and a roster of advanced specialty centers. Their record matches their commitment, and its back-to-back 5-star ratings say it all.
Click here for more information about SMH.
