A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on the $225 million St. Joseph's Hospital-South, near Interstate 75 and Big Bend Road in Riverview.
Among the dignitaries who attended the event were hospital board members and executives including BayCare President and CEO Steve Mason, U.S Reps. Kathy Castor and Tom Rooney and State Rep. Dana Young.
Site work on the 72-acre site started in late summer on the project that includes a four-story 325,000-square-foot hospital and an attached three-story, 80,000-square-foot medical arts building. Both are expected to open in early 2015.
The hospital will have a 30-bed emergency room, 16-bed intensive care unit, 14-bed labor and delivery unit and 22 rooms for observation of patients.
St. Joseph's Hospital-South, at 6901 Simmons Loop Road, will be part of the BayCare Health System and the first nonprofit hospital in southern Hillsborough County.
