Angeline, the Moffitt-anchored district in Pasco County, takes shape
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: May 9, 2022

Angeline, the Moffitt Cancer Center-anchored district in Pasco County, has started taking shape, with infrastructure construction and the community's entrance hinting at the mega-development to come.

Metro Development Group, the Tampa-based developer of Angeline, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal that road and utility construction for the 6,200-acre district is underway. Angeline spans 6 miles along the east side of the Suncoast Parkway from State Road 52 South; the community entrance is now visible from SR 52.

At full buildout, the district will be home to 30,000 residents; Miami-based homebuilder Lennar will kick off residential construction with a 55-and-older community. Model homes should open this summer, Metro said. It will also include up to 26 million square feet of commercial space — a figure that includes one of Metro's man-made beaches, known as a MetroLagoon, which usually encompasses several acres.

Moffitt's life sciences research park will span 750 of those acres, where it will eventually build up to 24 million square feet of clinical and research space. The Moffitt property is larger than the entirety of downtown Tampa.

Moffitt paid $23.5 million for its property in early 2020; construction on the first phase of its research park is expected to begin this year.

“Moffitt is thrilled to partner with Pasco County and Metro Development Group to build a global destination to live, work and cure cancer,” Dr. Patrick Hwu, president and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center, said in a statement. “We are poised to transform cancer care by attracting key biomedical leaders to drive innovative research breakthroughs.”

Lennar's community will include a host of amenities — a multimillion-dollar amenity center and clubhouse with a resort-style swimming pool, fitness center, tennis, pickleball and bocce ball courts — separate from the overall amenity package planned with Angeline.

In 2023, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) magnet school serving grades six through 12 will open.

Angeline is being planned with a focus on health and wellness and, as a result, will include a community farm, extensive trail network and 3,600 acres of green space. The farm will be professionally managed and have dedicated space for community farming. The trail network, Metro says, will link to the Starkey Preserve, the Connerton Preserve and the Crossbar Ranch Preserve.

A 130-acre county park will offer recreational activities, playgrounds, fishing and kayaking.

“Angeline will transform central Pasco County and set a new standard for how we live in the 21st Century,” Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro, said in a statement. “As Florida and the rest of the nation ages, it’s important that our communities emphasize health and wellness.”