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Moffitt Cancer Center will build a downtown St. Petersburg outpatient center

WUSF
About 8,000 St. Petersburg residents annually travel an hour or more to Moffitt's main location in North Tampa.

Moffitt and a developer say the 4.5-acre site will include "a mixed-use modern family residential tower," along with shops, restaurants, public parking and a headquarters for United Insurance Holdings.

Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center will build a 75,000-square-foot outpatient center in downtown St. Petersburg.

Moffitt and a developer say the 4.5 acre site at 800 Second Ave. S., just east of Tropicana Field, will also include "a mixed-use modern family residential tower," along with shops, restaurants, public parking, and a new headquarters for United Insurance Holdings.

The city said it received five other proposals for the site after Moffitt approached officials with its own plan in August. The city-owned site is currently used as a parking lot for city-owned vehicles.

About 8,000 St. Petersburg residents annually travel an hour or more to Moffitt's main location in North Tampa.

The National Institutes of Health has named Moffitt as Florida's only comprehensive cancer center. There are 51 such centers in the nation funded to deliver cutting-edge cancer treatment and research. Moffitt says the St. Petersburg center will create 200 jobs.

"Moffitt Cancer Center is working diligently every day to save more lives. In order to do that, we must reach more patients. We want to bring the best cancer care closer to the residents of Pinellas County," Moffitt CEO Dr. Patrick Hwu said in a statement.

The City Development Administration anticipates completing the terms of the sale soon. Mayor Kriseman hopes the term sheet is voted on by City Council in December.

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Bradley George comes to WUSF from Atlanta, where he was a reporter, host, and editor at Georgia Public Broadcasting. While in Atlanta, he reported for NPR, Marketplace, Here & Now, and The Takeaway. His work has been recognized by , the Georgia Associated Press, and the Atlanta Press Club. Prior to his time in Georgia, Bradley worked at public radio stations in Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina.