Moffitt Cancer Center announced Tuesday plans to build an outpatient treatment center in Lakeland, adding a eastern expansion to its growing Tampa Bay area footprint.
The facility, sited for 34 acres on Bartow Road in Lakeland, will offer cancer screenings, diagnostic imaging, blood draw and clinical labs, infusion services, medical oncology clinics, radiation therapy and clinical trials.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with a planned opening in 2029, Moffitt said in a news release.
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A second phase will include a surgery center and wellness-research educational center.
Financing for the center received a boost from a $10 million donation from philanthropists Wesley and Ashley Bell Barnett, of Winter Haven, as well as a partial land donation from the Rogers family of Polk County, Moffitt said.
“Moffitt Cancer Center is known for incredible lifesaving work, and we want to do everything we can to help bring this expertise to our backyard in Polk County,” Bell Barnett, who serves on Moffitt’s foundation board, said in the release.
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The outpatient center will be part of a Central Florida campus aimed at improving service for patients in Polk and Orange counties. According to Moffitt, the Tampa-based cancer care system has more than 1,450 new patients living in Polk.
“At Moffitt, we are laser focused on saving more lives. But we must bring world-class cancer care closer to those who need it,” Dr. Patrick Hwu, president and CEO of Moffitt, said in the release. “We are incredibly grateful for the impactful support of the Barnett and Rogers families who are helping us to realize this vision.”
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In January 2025, Moffitt at SouthShore opened to serve southern Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties. The new Moffitt Speros Outpatient Center in Pasco County opened last month.
In addition, Moffitt research-personnel are based in the St. Petersburg Innovation District's spARK Labs, and could move into the Historic Gas Plant District if the ARK/Ellison/Horus redevelopment proposal is selected by the city.
The latest Moffitt expansion comes a month after Lakeland Regional Health’s Hollis Cancer Center and the Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute announced a partnership to increase access to cancer care in Polk County.
