Moffitt announces major Pasco County extension project
LAND 'O LAKES, Fla. - Moffitt Cancer Center is expanding into Pasco County. The non-profit has been working on plans to develop 775 acres into a complex focused on research, innovation and collaboration.
Moffitt Cancer Center’s Pasco County project will cover a plot of land bigger than downtown Tampa, just off the Suncoast Parkway near the Ridge Road extension.
"We're just very excited about what this means for the future," said Jamie Wilson, vice president of government relations at Moffitt Cancer Center. We really believe this campus will become something of unmatched anywhere in the country focused on the fight against cancer."
State funding is a major step forward for the complex. Lawmakers just approved investing for than $700 million for the expansion.
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The biggest chunk, about $600 million, will come in $20 million increments over the next 30 years to help with the construction of the sprawling campus.
The remaining $106 million is a one-time investment to build roads and utility connections at the site.
"We believe that will create about 5,000 construction jobs and then at the same time be creating about 3,500 permanent and also some non-permanent jobs that will be Moffitt-specific," Wilson said.
Research will be at the forefront of the life sciences park. The multi-year, multiphase project will include about 16 million square feet of lab, office, manufacturing and clinical space.
Officials say the complex will be transformational for the region and cancer research.
"This campus will, in essence, be a magnet not only for the buildings that we’ll build on there, but for businesses moving into the region, biotech, pharmaceutical, health," said Wilson.
The first phase of construction is expected to ramp up later this year and be complete by mid-2025.
Lawmakers passed the state budget Monday; however, the governor has the final say on the spending plan, which includes $700 million for the project.