Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System

Local residents started to raise funds for the hospital in 1921. Sarasota Hospital opened on November 2, 1925, with a capacity of 32 beds and simple canvas tents.[11] In 1927, the facility was turned over to the city of Sarasota, and was renamed Sarasota Municipal Hospital. By the 1930s, the hospital had a capacity of 100 beds, an ambulance garage, nurses' home, and wing for patient overflow. The hospital continued to expand in the 1940s, with a surgical suite, kitchen and dining room, and an air-conditioned unit. The hospital was renamed in 1954 to its current name in honor of the veterans from World War I and World War II.

The following decades were a period of development and expansion for the hospital, with a new south wing opening in 1955, bringing the hospital capacity up to 225 beds, and the Retter Wing opening in 1963, adding 92 more beds. In 1976, the East Tower was completed with a helipad, allowing for patients to be transported to and from the hospital via helicopter. In 1983, an open heart surgery center opened and the Waldemere Tower as well, bringing total bed count for the hospital to 825.[12]

In November 2021, American sports commentator Dick Vitale announced that he would be undergoing chemotherapy at the SMH Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute for treatment for lymphoma.[13] In April of 2022, he announced his remission from cancer at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.[14]