- September 22, 2026
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Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System is planning to expand in Manatee County. The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved a nearly $60 million deal on Tuesday to buy about 120 acres on State Road 64 near Interstate 75. The purchase is contingent on SMH working with Manatee County officials and community leaders to rezone and develop a future campus on the site, according to a statement.
The board also approved acquiring a 10-acre adjacent parcel with direct access to State Road 64 in July, the statement says. The purchase price for that property is $8.4 million and the board approved $9 million to cover closing costs, according to Kim Savage, spokesperson for SMH. The transaction is subject to due diligence, environmental reviews and confirmation of a zoning pathway with Manatee County government.
"At this point, it is premature to say how or when we will develop the site," Savage says in an email. "SMH is evaluating all of its options, including a full-scale hospital."
SMH’s plan off State Road 64 calls for phased development guided by community need and local, regional and state regulatory government approvals. The first phase would be a freestanding emergency department on the 10-acre parcel, followed by outpatient practices and medical buildings to support a full-service hospital campus.
Hospital Board Chair Kevin Cooper says the land acquisition is about ensuring long-term healthcare needs are met in the region.
“If you look at the history of Sarasota Memorial Healthcare and land acquisition, what you’ll find is a pattern aimed at ensuring access to world-class healthcare now and into the future for our region through flexibility,” Cooper says in a phone interview.
For decades, SMH has made strategic investments along the I-75 corridor. In 2005, it purchased its Laurel Road property, where it opened SMH-Venice in 2021. It acquired the Sumter Boulevard property in 2007 where it is building SMH-North Port, expected to open in 2028.
“This investment reflects the kind of long-range planning that has allowed Sarasota Memorial to serve our region for more than a century,” Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System CEO David Verinder says in a statement on the Manatee acquisition. “Healthcare infrastructure takes years to plan and build. Securing strategically located property today allows us to improve our capacity to care for the community now, while enhancing access for future generations.”
The expansion in Manatee County is driven by several factors, including population growth, healthcare system usage and employees, according to a statement that cites these statistics:
“County boundaries do not define where patients seek care or where healthcare professionals choose to live and work,” Verinder says in a statement. “Our responsibility is to plan for the communities we already serve today and the communities we know will continue to grow tomorrow.”
Offering more services in Manatee County will also help relieve pressure at SMH-Sarasota, where beds, parking, emergency services and hospital resources are frequently at or nearly at capacity, the statement says.
SMH is a community-owned healthcare system that is Sarasota County’s largest employer, with 11,000 staff. It handles 2 million patient visits a year across its network, which includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice; freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch; a rehabilitation hospital; skilled nursing facility; and outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and First Physician Group primary and specialty care practices. SMH reported operating revenue of $2.2 billion in FY 2025.
