Bayfront plans new ER, medical pavilion in west St. Petersburg

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg will expand to west St. Petersburg.

Bayfront plans to build a new emergency room and medical pavilion at 1800 66^th St. N. The hospital bought the four-acre property in March for $6.55 million, as the St. Pete Catalyst reported exclusively. The property previously was home to the Pinellas County tax collector and department of motor vehicles.

Bayfront has filed a permit to demolish the current building, a news release said.

On the site, Bayfront will build a three-story, 42,000-square-foot building. It will have a 14,000-square-foot emergency room on the ground floor and space for future medical offices on the second and third floors. The emergency room will include include 12 exam rooms, including two resuscitation rooms, an area where patients can comfortably wait for their results, and an ambulance bay.

John Moore

Freestanding emergency rooms have grown in popularity as hospitals and healthcare systems strategize ways to provide improved care in the most cost-effective physical environment possible, according to Healthcare Design magazine. Freestanding ERs can help hospitals gain market share and serve as an extended “front door” to other hospital services.

“Construction of this new facility reinforces our commitment to continue to invest and grow in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County,” John Moore, president of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, said in a statement. “We are excited to expand our presence to meet the demands of this vibrant community, ensuring our neighbors can access exceptional skilled emergency medical care close to home.” 

It’s the first major expansion since Orlando Health bought Bayfront, a 480-bed hospital just south of downtown St. Petersburg, in October 2020.

Bayfront did not say how much it planned to spend to build the new structure.

Construction is expected to begin in October, and the new facility is expected to open in January 2023.

Bayfront is working with Ryan Architects and the city of St. Petersburg on a master plan for the new outpatient campus that includes design development, the news release said.

The Pinellas County offices formerly on 66th Street now are located at 2500 34th St. N.