By Kyle Coppola
AdventHealth Breaks Ground on Fruitland Park’s First Emergency Room
A new era of health care began Tuesday in Fruitland Park as AdventHealth broke ground on the city’s first emergency room, bringing 24/7 medical services to one of Central Florida’s fastest-growing communities.
The $20 million freestanding emergency department will be located at the intersection of County Road 466A and Colony Boulevard, a 27-acre site that positions the facility at the heart of a burgeoning residential and commercial corridor.
(Rendering of what the new AdventHealth Emergency Room will look like in Fruitland Park.)
“This ER means families in Fruitland Park won’t have to travel far to get the care they need – day or night,” said Abel Biri, president and CEO of AdventHealth Waterman. “No one plans for an emergency, but when it happens, timing is everything.”
The 14,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in early 2026 and will include 12 private patient rooms, advanced imaging technology including CT scans, X-ray, and ultrasound, as well as respiratory therapy, lab services, and a team of board-certified emergency physicians and nurses.
According to AdventHealth, more than 2,500 emergency visits to its Waterman hospital in Tavares in recent years have come from Fruitland Park residents, underscoring the demand for closer emergency services.
(Groundbreaking ceremony for the new AdventHealth Emergency Department in Fruitland Park.)
The project will create 40 full-time health care jobs and represents what Biri described as “an important first step” toward broader development. “We chose this site with the future in mind,” he said. “As the needs of Fruitland Park evolve, we’ll have the room to grow too.”
AdventHealth’s commitment to Florida’s health care infrastructure continues to expand. In 2023, the organization contributed over $16 billion to the state’s economy and supported more than 113,000 jobs—both directly and indirectly. The company reports that 94% of its spending remains within the state, benefiting local businesses and communities.
“Every facility we build is about more than beds and equipment,” Biri said. “It’s about investing in the long-term health and safety of the communities we call home.”
Once complete, the ER will provide local residents immediate access to emergency care without having to travel to neighboring cities, offering peace of mind for a growing population.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
