BayCare Expands Emergency Care With New South Tampa Facility

• BayCare has broken ground on a new freestanding emergency room at 102 S. Dale Mabry Highway in South Tampa.
• The 12,300-square-foot facility will include 14 exam rooms, imaging services, a laboratory, and an ambulance bay.
• The project reflects the growing demand for standalone emergency departments as healthcare systems expand access across Florida.

What BayCare Is Building in South Tampa

BayCare has started construction on a new freestanding emergency room at 102 S. Dale Mabry Highway at Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa, Florida. The healthcare system purchased the former CVS property in 2025 for $6 million and is redeveloping the site into a modern emergency care facility. The 12,300-square-foot building will include 14 exam rooms, two imaging rooms for CT scans and X-rays, a clinical laboratory, and an ambulance bay. Construction is underway, with the facility expected to open in early 2027. Although the new emergency department is located about three miles from BayCare's St. Joseph's Hospital and Tampa General Hospital—and only about one mile from HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital—BayCare believes the location will improve access to emergency services in one of Tampa's busiest corridors.

What BayCare Says About Freestanding Emergency Care

According to Chris Bucciarelli, BayCare's Vice President of Ambulatory Services and Chief Medical Officer, growing patient demand is driving the expansion of freestanding emergency facilities.

"Patients are increasingly seeking quick, convenient and reliable emergency care, and freestanding emergency departments play a vital role," Bucciarelli said.

He added that patients receive the same emergency evaluation and stabilization they would receive inside a hospital emergency department. "This model allows us to deliver rapid, convenient emergency care in the community while maintaining a fully integrated system so when higher levels of care are needed, patients are quickly and safely transitioned to the appropriate setting without interruption to their treatment plan."

What Is Driving Growth in Freestanding Emergency Rooms

Freestanding emergency departments continue to expand throughout Florida and across the United States as healthcare providers look for efficient ways to increase emergency care capacity. According to Health Data Atlas, the U.S. freestanding emergency room market has grown from $12 billion in 2020 to $16.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $23.4 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.9%. The report notes, "The case for the model is real." It explains that standalone emergency departments help reduce overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms while allowing health systems to expand services without the expense of building a full-service hospital.

What BayCare's Expansion Plans Include

The South Tampa emergency department is one of several healthcare developments currently underway for BayCare, one of Florida's largest nonprofit health systems. The organization operates 16 hospitals, including a children's hospital in Tampa, and reported approximately $7 billion in operating revenue during 2025. BayCare is also developing two medical office buildings supporting the $563 million BayCare Hospital Manatee project, along with a BayCare HealthHub on Moccasin Wallow Road that is expected to open in early 2028. In addition, the healthcare provider plans to build another freestanding emergency department on a 2.8-acre site at 8030 State Road 64 in Bradenton. That facility will total 13,000 square feet, include 15 treatment rooms, and is expected to open in 2028. Beyond real estate development, BayCare recently announced a partnership with Zipline to begin delivering medications to patients by drone starting next year, highlighting the organization's continued investment in expanding healthcare access throughout Florida.