Sarasota Memorial Health Care System will bring cancer treatment to south Sarasota County after leasing an entire 54,000-square-foot medical building next to its Venice hospital campus.

The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved the project Sept. 22, according to the Venice Sun. The deal clears the way for an extension of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute on Curry Lane in Venice. The three-story building, owned by North Carolina-based Flagship Healthcare Properties, is projected for completion in 2028, pending permitting and construction approvals.

It is the largest transaction in Flagship's history, the Business Observer first reported.

What the new Venice building will include

The first floor will house a radiation oncology center and medical, surgical and radiation oncology physician clinics, along with infusion services, diagnostic imaging and supportive care, according to a Sarasota Memorial press release. An endoscopy center and First Physicians Group gastroenterologists will occupy the second floor. The third floor will be shelled for future growth.

Flagship originally planned the building as a multitenant facility, with SMH leasing just one floor for endoscopy services. Leasing the entire building allowed the health system to add cancer services to the site.

An LLC tied to Flagship bought the 5-acre property for $4.2 million in January, according to Sarasota County property records cited by the Business Observer. Preliminary site work has begun. Flagship will construct the building shell, and SMH's design team will complete the specialized interior build-out.

Reducing travel for local cancer patients

Kelli Dancer, vice president of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, said the expansion addresses a practical burden for patients who now travel long distances for treatment.

"Expanding these services in Venice will make it easier for patients in south Sarasota County and surrounding communities to access comprehensive, coordinated cancer care closer to where they live," Dancer said in a statement.

When the Jellison Cancer Institute launched in 2020, roughly 50% of local cancer patients traveled outside the community for advanced care. That figure has dropped to about 30%, according to SMH.

Latest step in a broader cancer expansion

The Venice project follows the June 12 ribbon-cutting of the Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion on SMH's Sarasota campus. The Jellison Cancer Institute now spans an eight-story inpatient and surgical tower, the seven-story Milman-Kover Pavilion and a radiation oncology center on SMH's University Parkway campus.

Venice's Planning Commission has not yet scheduled a hearing on Flagship's site plan amendment, which includes linear accelerator vaults and an access easement connecting the new building to the SMH-Venice campus, according to the city's Planning and Zoning Department.