Orlando Health plans new Pasco County hospital
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 11, 2022

Orlando Health has revealed its next step in its quest to gain market share in the Tampa Bay region: a 300-unit hospital in Wiregrass Ranch, a master-planned community in Wesley Chapel.

The health system on Monday announced plans for the new hospital in the northeast quadrant of the intersection of State Road 56 and Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard. It is under contract to purchase the site and expects to close on the property later this year.

Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will offer emergency and specialty services as well as inpatient care. The health system said it has filed a site plan with Pasco County and that the new hospital will be multiple stories.

The health system entered the Tampa Bay market in 2020 by acquiring Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. It is also planning a new hospital in Lakeland. A new location in Wesley Chapel puts Orlando Health on the turf of Altamonte Springs-based AdventHealth, which is the dominant provider in the county. In Pasco, AdventHealth has hospitals in Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City. It also has a freestanding ER in Lutz.

“We are thrilled to welcome an amazing health system like Orlando Health to our Wiregrass Ranch Community,” J.D. Porter, Wiregrass Ranch developer, said in a statement. “Access to the best health care has always been a foundation of the Wiregrass Ranch community, and Orlando Health’s excellent track record of putting patients first will no doubt serve our vibrant and growing population looking for high quality health care and a great foundation to our town center.”