AdventHealth hospital clears Punta Gorda zoning hurdle  

AdventHealth’s planned hospital campus in Punta Gorda moved another step forward after the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals recommended approval of parking variances for the project. 

The 17.46-acre hospital campus planned off Jones Loop Road has already received city approval. The latest request involves parking requirements for the off-site emergency department, or OSED, that AdventHealth plans to build first, as well as the future hospital and medical office building. 

The project would bring a hospital back to Punta Gorda after ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda permanently closed following extensive flooding from hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. The city had been home to a hospital since 1947. 

Attorney Derek Rooney of GrayRobinson and engineer George Huddleston of Catalyst Design Group told the board that the city’s existing parking standards do not adequately account for the needs of a hospital campus. 

The variance request would allow one paved parking space per 150 square feet for the OSED, a maximum of six spaces per hospital bed and one space per 150 square feet for the future medical office building. 

Zoning official Rachel Barry said city code otherwise would allow 1.2 parking spaces per bed for the OSED and require one space per 400 square feet for the medical office use. 

AdventHealth also seeks permission to provide parking beyond the front facade of the buildings, which city code generally prohibits. 

During the hearing, resident Bob Sifrit said the lack of a hospital south of the bridges crossing the Peace River poses a public safety concern. 

“We desperately need an emergency department and hospital south of the river, especially during wind events over 45 mph when our emergency vehicles won’t travel over that bridge,” Sifrit said. 

Sifrit, a former member of the Board of Zoning Appeals who said he was speaking solely as a resident, noted that AdventHealth’s original variance request in May called for 898 paved surface parking spaces. 

“Today, they’re at 830, which is a 7.5% reduction,” he said. 

He added that AdventHealth “will be a great asset to the city of Punta Gorda and its citizens.” 

AdventHealth announced plans in September 2025 for the hospital complex at 26072 Glasgow Ave. 

“This new emergency department is the first step in a long-term commitment to bringing more healthcare services back home to the community,” Adam Johnson, president and CEO of AdventHealth Port Charlotte, said when the project was announced. 

AdventHealth paid $6 million for the property, according to Compass Real Estate. 

The campus is planned in phases, beginning with a 12-bed OSED. The emergency department eventually would expand to 24 beds and 22,500 square feet and connect to a four-story, 200,000-square-foot hospital with 80 beds. 

A two-story, 30,000-square-foot medical office building also is planned adjacent to the hospital. 

The project could face a potential construction hurdle. 

Rooney said the original target was to open the emergency department in the third quarter of 2027, but steel availability could affect that schedule. 

“I think steel might be a problem,” Rooney said, citing supply and cost concerns. 

“We try to acquire all materials in advance, so that’s the only thing that might slow down the project,” he said. 

Groundbreaking is expected in November.