February 24, 2025
AdventHealth Waterman Breaks Ground on $30 Million Medical Facility in Tavares
By Kyle Coppola
AdventHealth Waterman Breaks Ground on $30 Million Medical Facility in Tavares
TAVARES, Fla., Feb. 24, 2025 — With shovels in hand and dust in the air, AdventHealth Waterman leaders and community members celebrated the start of construction on a new 50,000-square-foot medical office building (MOB) for expanded specialty care in Lake County on Wednesday, Feb. 19. It is a $30 million investment in the community.
“This isn’t just about adding another building to the landscape. It’s about expanding access to high-quality, compassionate care, right here where people live and work,” said Abel Biri, AdventHealth Waterman president and CEO. “We’ve outgrown our current space, and this new building will provide more space for our clinical teams, greater access to care for our patients, and a continued commitment to keeping high-quality health care close to home.”
Located across from the hospital on Huffstetler Drive, the two-story facility will include radiology imaging, cardiac rehabilitation and an outpatient lab, with room to grow for future medical clinics.
(The AdventHealth Waterman Foundation presented a donation for the facility. Pictured left to right: Foundation board members Monica McDonald and Dr. Susan Caddell, AdventHealth Chief Operating Officer Anita Young, AdventHealth Waterman Chief of Staff Dr. Michael Fountain, AdventHealth Waterman President & CEO Abel Biri, AdventHealth Waterman Foundation Executive Director Mabel Valdivia Diaz and AdventHealth North Lake, South Sumter, West Volusia Counties President and CEO Lorenzo Brown.)
(The AdventHealth Waterman Foundation presented a donation for the facility. Pictured left to right: Foundation board members Monica McDonald and Dr. Susan Caddell, AdventHealth Chief Operating Officer Anita Young, AdventHealth Waterman Chief of Staff Dr. Michael Fountain, AdventHealth Waterman President & CEO Abel Biri, AdventHealth Waterman Foundation Executive Director Mabel Valdivia Diaz and AdventHealth North Lake, South Sumter, West Volusia Counties President and CEO Lorenzo Brown.)
Lake County’s population is booming, and so is the need for high-quality health care.
“AdventHealth Waterman has been part of this community for almost a century, starting as Lake County’s first hospital in Umatilla back in 1933. Last year, we had approximately 168,000 patient visits and those volumes continue to rise,” Biri said, noting that the hospital brought nearly 20 physicians and advanced practitioners to Lake County in the past year alone, with more on the way.
A highlight of the ceremony was a $7 million donation from the AdventHealth Waterman Foundation, a gift that will help bring the vision of this facility to life.
“Together, we are shaping a healthier future for generations to come. This generous gift highlights the incredible power of a community united in its commitment to invest in the well-being of all, creating a lasting impact for years ahead,” said Mabel Diaz, AdventHealth Waterman Foundation executive director.
The MOB is anticipated to open early in 2026.
Link to the building renders is here:
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.
