St. Joe Announces Hospital for Panama City Beach

[SoWal Staff]

The St. Joe Company, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and the Florida State University College of Medicine Announce Their Intent to Develop a Health Care Campus in Panama City Beach, Florida | The St. Joe Company

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 8, 2021-- The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) (“St. Joe”), Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Inc. (“TMH”) and the Florida State University College of Medicine (“FSU”) announce their intent to develop a health care campus in Panama City Beach, Florida .

ir.joe.com

The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) (“St. Joe”), Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Inc. (“TMH”) and the Florida State University College of Medicine (“FSU”) announce their intent to develop a health care campus in Panama City Beach, Florida. The campus is planned to be located on an 87-acre parcel near the intersection of State Highway 79 and Phillip Griffitts Sr. Parkway, just minutes from the Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community, the 55-and-better community which is planned for 3,500 homes.

The parties have executed a letter of intent to jointly plan and develop the campus to initially include an ambulatory and urgent care center. Future development plans include the construction of an Emergency Center and 100-bed inpatient facility offering services such as: gastroenterology, urology, gynecology, cardiology and general surgery among others. The parties intend to create a local fiduciary governance structure for the planned campus.

“Panama City Beach and the surrounding area have experienced tremendous growth over the past several years. We anticipate that trend to continue as more people discover that it is a year-round destination and a great place to live,” said Jorge Gonzalez, President and CEO of St. Joe. “Convenient access to quality health care services is vital to the success of a growing region. The creation of this planned health care campus will enhance the quality of life for local residents and provide tremendous opportunities for the entire region.”

“This planned health care campus is so exciting as it will allow for a great opportunity for job creation in Panama City Beach and Bay County,” said Mark Sheldon, Mayor of Panama City Beach. “I would like to welcome TMH and FSU to the world’s most beautiful beaches and I look forward to this asset for our citizens and visitors alike.”

TMH currently serves 17 counties in Florida and Georgia. This would be its first facility in Bay County. “High-quality health care with a focus on wellness is a foundational component of an active community,” said Mark O’Bryant, President and CEO of TMH. “On behalf of Tallahassee Memorial, we are excited to work with St. Joe and FSU on this monumental project. Together, we have the opportunity to create an outstanding training and research platform for the people of Northwest Florida.”

FSU intends to utilize the campus for research opportunities focused on successful aging and senior living technology as well as residency programs and educational rotations for its students and students from FSU Panama City. “We are very pleased to work with St. Joe and TMH to help create and support the health care future for Panama City Beach and the surrounding area including the nearby Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community,” said John P. Fogarty M.D, Dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine. “This is an exciting project that capitalizes on the ability of TMH to provide cutting edge care and FSU to expand the educational and research opportunities and to recruit the next generation of health care providers to the region.”

The parties intend to break ground on the project as early as 2022.

 

[SoWal Staff]

The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) (“St. Joe”), Florida State University (“FSU”) and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (“TMH”) celebrated the construction kickoff Tuesday, January 17, 2023 of a health care campus in Panama City Beach that will bring together clinicians, researchers and students to better serve the medical needs of the Florida Panhandle.

The FSU Health-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Medical Campus will be located on an 87-acre parcel of land just minutes from the Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community, St. Joe’s 55-plus community that recently sold its 1,000th home.

“Today’s celebration represents a very important step forward for our community,” says Jorge Gonzalez, President and CEO of The St. Joe Company. “This medical campus, backed by the expertise of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Florida State University, is a crucial element for supporting the health and well-being of residents and visitors in every stage of life. It also has the potential to create synergistic opportunities between research, education, and clinical delivery, to enhance quality of life throughout the region and beyond.”

Development plans include an 80,000-square-foot medical office building scheduled to be complete in 2024. This medical office building is planned to ultimately house TMH Physician Partners - Primary Care, Tallahassee Memorial Urgent Care Center, an ambulatory surgery center, as well as cardiology and orthopedic services.
Plans include a 100-bed hospital with an emergency center and other inpatient services, including surgery, cardiology procedures and imaging, expected to be completed in 2027.

The project will also include opportunities for FSU researchers focused on aging and digital health, as well as residency programs and educational rotations for FSU medical students.

“Today’s construction kickoff comes at a pivotal time for TMH as we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year,” said Mark O’Bryant, President & CEO of TMH, which serves a 21-county area in North Florida, Georgia and Alabama. “We have grown from a small, city-owned hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system. As the population in our region increases, TMH has identified a substantial need to expand healthcare services. Over the past seven and a half decades, we’ve built a reputation for excellent, compassionate and local care, and we are proud to now offer our services to the Panama City Beach communities.”

Over the past several years, Florida State University has been growing its health research portfolio while also pursuing partnerships with major health care systems such as TMH and others. It’s also increased opportunities for students through its College of Medicine, opening a physician’s assistant training program, and is welcoming the first cohort of its new doctoral program in nursing at the College of Nursing this fall.

“FSU has long enjoyed being a part of this community through our Panama City Campus,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “Now, we’re looking forward to expanding our presence and continuing to serve the residents here through this health care initiative. Research universities can play an important role in a vibrant health care delivery system, and FSU looks forward to playing that role right here in Bay County. This area is experiencing an incredible boom in population and the possibilities — and needs — have never been greater. There are tremendous opportunities for collaboration on research, education, and clinical health care across the region — and I’m excited that it begins right here with this medical campus.”

The university also plans to break ground on the FSU Health Tallahassee Center on the TMH campus later this year with the support of a $125 million appropriation from the Florida Legislature.

Gonzalez, O’Bryant and McCullough were joined at the groundbreaking by U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, R-FL, and Panama City Beach Mayor Mark Sheldon as well as TMH Vice President and Chief Health Operations Officer Andrew Starr and other local officials from the Bay County area.

The project has generated considerable interest in the Florida Panhandle and throughout the state. Estimates show that Florida will have a shortfall of 4,700 primary care physicians by 2030 and 60,000 nurses by 2035. At the same time, the state is growing. Florida was the fastest growing state last year, with a population growth of 1.9%.

“Because we are a nonprofit, community-based healthcare system, we recognize that TMH is a community asset that drives the health of our region’s residents,” Starr said. “As we grow, we remain dedicated to the sacred trust given to us by our patients to care for them when they need it most. This is why we are developing strategic partnerships throughout the region and investing in the most advanced lifesaving technology. We are building the best-in-class healthcare system our region deserves.”

 

[Jim Tucker]

I was on 79 today and it is underway - a very large building with a lot of new commercial and homes adjacent. The new road to the airport is mostly complete and open.

 

[Matt J]

Keep in mind that medical construction takes longer than you think. The exterior has gone up fast, but it's gonna be 2-3 years before it's done. It's a hospital so at that point an expansion will kick off and it will be under constant construction/renovation until the end of time.