Morsani receives more funding for downtown move

USF moved closer to securing funding for the downtown medical school this week when the Florida Legislature allocated $22.5 million in additional funds.

The project will cost another $33.2 million to reach its $152.6 million total, according to documents from the Board of Governors.

The downtown move will bring the school closer to USF’s primary training hospital, Tampa General, and serve as part of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s vision of a new Tampa waterfront. 

Vinik donated land for the project.

The project also received $17 million from the state last year, as well as $41 million in private donations. 

The Tampa Bay Partnership, a voice for a regional economic vision in the Tampa Bay area, offered support for the decision made by lawmakers to further fund the project.

"Moving the USF medical school to downtown Tampa will impact the entire Tampa Bay region by elevating the school's national rankings, attracting the highest quality professors and students, and strengthening our role as a leader in the life science industry," Rich Homans, president and CEO of the partnership, told the Tampa Bay Times.