NORTH PORT, Fla. (Nov. 7, 2025) – As Sarasota Memorial Health Care System begins clearing land for North Port’s first full-service hospital, SMH leaders are already planning the future expansion of the south county campus.
At a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 7, SMH officials unveiled plans for the $507 million hospital campus on a 32-acre site the health system owns in the 4800 block of North Sumter Boulevard. It will be the city’s first acute-care hospital, and the third hospital SMH has built in its 100-year history.
“This is a historic milestone for our health system, North Port and the south county region, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate this landmark moment than during the week of Sarasota Memorial’s centennial,” Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder told a crowd of about 200 hospital and community leaders, SMH staff and physicians, elected officials and planning, design and construction teams who gathered on the construction site for the groundbreaking ceremony.
When completed in 2028, Sarasota Memorial Hospital-North Port will be nine stories tall, with an adjacent 3-story medical office building. The hospital will initially open with 100 beds but will include three floors of finished shell space, which will allow SMH to quickly double capacity to 208 beds. The campus design is flexible with capacity to increase to more than 400 beds in the future.
Building a hospital in North Port has been part of Sarasota Memorial’s growth plan for many years. In January, the health system’s governing board approved $507 million to build and equip the hospital. That includes three floors of shell space that can be used to quickly double the hospital capacity if the need arises.
The campus will offer a comprehensive range of emergency, medical, surgical and specialty care, a full complement of diagnostic services, as well as onsite outpatient services and physician practices. The first floor of the hospital will include emergency, radiology/imaging, administrative and support services, as well as a cafeteria and coffee bar; the second floor will house surgical and procedural areas; and floors four through six will be dedicated patient care units with private rooms for admitted patients. The third floor is reserved for mechanical space. Floors 7-9 will be built as open shells and finished in a future phase.
“Right now, we are surrounded by empty land and equipment. But I’d like you to envision a beautiful medical campus with a state-of-the-art, full-service hospital right here where we’re standing,” said Jeff Wesner, president of SMH-North Port.
U.S. Congressman Greg Steube, who represents Sarasota County, attended the event to celebrate the milestone. He noted that since North Port is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, the city is fortunate that SMH is bringing “this gem” to its backyard. “I personally have used SMH, and can personally attest to the professionalism, and the healthcare that you receive,” he said, referring to a serious accident he had a couple of years ago.
Phil Stokes, mayor of North Port, thanked the health care system for investing in North Port’s future.
“A hospital of this scale will transform the quality of life here. For our residents, this means fewer long drives for care, more convenience and improved access to top-tier medical services right here in North Port,” he said. “We look forward to being long-term partners, to celebrating many future successes together and to witnessing the positive ripple effects this campus will have for generations.”
For future updates on the construction of SMH-North Port, visit: smh.com/NorthPortUpdates
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, behavioral health hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1925, SMH is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025 and encouraging community members to visit smh.com/100 throughout the year for centennial events and updates.