VENICE, Fla. (Nov. 6, 2026) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System broke ground Friday on an $82.5 million Rehabilitation Pavilion at its Venice hospital campus, marking another major investment in expanding access to advanced medical care for the growing south Sarasota County community.
Approximately 150 hospital leaders, physicians, staff, community representatives and invited guests gathered for the groundbreaking celebration, which featured remarks from Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder, SMH-Venice President Sharon Roush and Maria DeCarlo, vice president of Sarasota Memorial Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Services, followed by a ceremonial shovel ceremony.
Scheduled to open in summer 2028, the four-story, 83,000-square-foot pavilion will bring nationally recognized inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services to the Venice campus, helping patients recovering from strokes, serious injuries, surgeries and other complex medical conditions to regain strength, mobility and independence.
“Ten years ago, we broke ground on our Rehabilitation Pavilion in Sarasota, which has since become one of the nation's most highly regarded rehabilitation programs,” said Verinder. “Today, we're taking another important step toward bringing that same level of specialized care closer to home for patients and families in south Sarasota County. This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring our growing community has access to the highest quality care.”
The new pavilion will feature 50 private inpatient rehabilitation rooms, advanced therapy gyms and comprehensive outpatient services, including physical, occupational, speech and cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation. Designed specifically for healing and recovery, the facility will connect directly to SMH-Venice, allowing patients to transition more easily from acute hospital care to intensive rehabilitation without leaving the campus.
Since opening in 2021, SMH-Venice has experienced patient volumes consistently exceeding initial projections, prompting the health system to expand services and capacity to meet growing demand. The hospital doubled its capacity just a few years after opening and continues to add specialized programs to serve the region.
“The need for high-quality health care in south Sarasota County continues to grow, and we are committed to growing with our community,” said Roush. “This new pavilion will make an enormous difference for patients who need intensive rehabilitation after an illness, injury or surgery. By bringing these services directly to our Venice campus, we can help more patients recover and regain their independence while remaining close to their families and support systems.”
Designed to Help Patients Return to Everyday Life
The new Rehabilitation Pavilion will offer innovative therapy spaces, thoughtfully designed to support healing, recovery and independence. A transitional apartment, kitchen, grocery shopping area, vehicle transfer training area, and outdoor mobility garden will allow therapists to provide skilled interventions in settings that reflect daily life. These spaces will help patients regain or adapt the skills needed to manage daily routines, move safely through their communities, and return home with greater confidence.
The facility will be modeled after SMH-Sarasota’s nationally recognized Rehabilitation Pavilion, which opened in 2017 and has been operating at or near capacity as demand for specialized rehabilitation continues to grow. The Sarasota program has earned accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), including specialty certification for stroke rehabilitation, and has been repeatedly recognized for quality and patient outcomes by national rating organizations.
“Rehabilitation is about helping patients regain not only their strength and independence, but also the confidence to return to the activities that matter most in their lives,” DeCarlo said. “By bringing together specialized rehabilitation physicians, nurses and therapists in an environment designed for recovery, we can provide the coordinated, intensive care patients need to achieve their highest possible level of independence, while remaining close to home and family.”
The Rehabilitation Pavilion is one of several major investments Sarasota Memorial is making to expand access to specialized care in south Sarasota County. Also planned for 2028 is a new outpatient facility on Curry Road, adjacent to SMH-Venice, that will house radiation oncology and infusion services from Sarasota Memorial's Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, along with an outpatient Endoscopy and Digestive Health Center.
Farther south, Sarasota Memorial is building a new hospital in North Port, also targeted to open in 2028.
“These projects represent a significant investment in the future of health care across our region,” Verinder said. "As our communities continue to grow, Sarasota Memorial is working to ensure residents have access to comprehensive, high-quality care, from routine services to highly specialized treatment, without having to travel far from home."
The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved the Venice Rehabilitation Pavilion project in September 2025. Gresham Smith, which designed SMH's Sarasota Rehabilitation Pavilion, is the architect for the Venice project, and DeAngelis Diamond is the general contractor.
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 about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, 11,000 employees and 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 (and third under construction in North Port), freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and First Physician Group primary and specialty care practices. Founded in 1925, SMH’s flagship Sarasota campus also is home to the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion and Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute. Both Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice have earned the highest 5-Star quality ratings from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The SMH-Sarasota is the only Florida hospital – and one of just 11 in the nation -- to earn a perfect 5-Star rating from CMS every year since the federal rating program began in 2016.