Health group to build emergency room to improve access to care

ST. PETERSBURG —St. Petersburg is getting a new emergency room.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg plans to build an emergency room and medical pavilion on a 4-acre property at 1800 66th St. N. that it bought in March. Construction is expected to begin in October and the facility scheduled to open January 2023.

The hospital announced the plans in a statement Wednesday.

The new emergency room will improve access to care and "and meet the demands of this vibrant community" Bayfront Health St. Petersburg's president, John Moore, says in the statement,   

When complete, the three-story, 42,000-square foot building will include 14,000 square feet dedicated to the emergency room on the ground floor. There will be 12 exam rooms, including two resuscitation rooms, a waiting room and ambulance bay.

The top two floors will be set aside for medical offices.

The building, which is just south of Tyrone Boulevard and less than a mile from Tyrone Square, previously housed the Pinellas County Clerk of the Courts, Tax Collector and Driver License and Motor Vehicle Service Center and will be demolished. The county offices were moved to 2500 34th St.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg was founded in 1910. It was purchased by Orlando Health in October.

The health system paid $6.55 million for the property in March according to county records.