Sarasota Memorial Hospital unveils plans for rehab pavilion

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is planning a new, $82.5 million Rehabilitation Pavilion at its Venice campus.

The new medical rehab center will be located on the Venice hospital campus. Hospital officials said the expansion will ensure a seamless, more convenient transition from the hospital to the new inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facility.

Construction is set to start in 2026 on the 83,000-square-foot facility. The pavilion opening is scheduled for patient care in early 2028.

The four-story pavilion will feature 50 private inpatient suites, advanced therapy gyms, mobility-training areas, and spaces designed to replicate real-life environments for recovery and independent living.

The first floor will house outpatient therapy and administrative offices, with a shelled fourth floor reserved for future growth.

“This pavilion reflects our long-term commitment to providing comprehensive rehabilitation for people of our community,” said Maria DeCarlo, SMH Vice President of Post-Acute & Rehabilitation. “It will mirror the nationally recognized programs and amenities at our Sarasota campus while offering care closer to home to residents in the growing south county community.”

Levels two and three will be dedicated inpatient rehabilitation units with private patient suites.

The Rehabilitation Pavilion at SMH-Sarasota has been operating at or near full capacity since it opened in 2017 and was expanded from 44 to 54 beds in 2018 and to 60 beds in 2022.

During the summer of 2025, the hospital board also approved $5.6 million to expand the Sarasota campus rehabilitation pavilion again by seven more beds, bringing the total to 67.

That expansion will begin next spring with the new wing opening in early 2027.