Frank and Carol Morsani, longtime Brooksville residents, have given $5 million to the Tampa General Hospital Foundation to enhance emergency services at TGH Brooksville. The gift marks the first major philanthropic investment in the region since TGH Brooksville, TGH Spring Hill and TGH Crystal River joined Tampa General's not-for-profit academic health system in 2023.
The Morsanis have lived in Brooksville for years, and their donation comes as Tampa General has been steadily building out its presence in Hernando and Citrus counties. According to West Orlando News, the gift supports emergency services at TGH Brooksville and is intended to help more community members receive care closer to home. Frank Morsani said the gift will advance innovation, support caregivers and bring hope and healing for generations, per the outlet's report.
A Hospital With Deep Roots, Now Under a Bigger Umbrella
TGH Brooksville has served Hernando County since 1932, operating today as a 120-bed acute care hospital with Chest Pain Center Accreditation with PCI from the American College of Cardiology and Primary Stroke Center certification from The Joint Commission, according to TGH North. The facility opened in 1936 as Hernando County Hospital before changing names over the decades and ultimately joining Tampa General in late 2023. Its sister facility, TGH Spring Hill, is a 124-bed hospital established in 1991 that provides emergency medicine, specialized women's health and neonatology services, per the same TGH North listing.
Both hospitals arrived under the TGH banner when Tampa General completed its acquisition of the Bravera Health network from Community Health Systems in December 2023 for approximately $290 million, establishing the TGH North division across a combined 372 beds, according to WUSF. Community Health Systems sold the three regional hospitals to shed non-core assets, while Tampa General expanded its footprint across 23 Florida counties. TGH operates a Level I Trauma Center with more than 1,040 beds as the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, handling complex tertiary care transfers system-wide.
Hospital Leaders Frame the Gift as a Turning Point
Tampa General president and CEO John Couris said the philanthropy is a key step toward realizing TGH Brooksville's bold vision for the future, per West Orlando News, adding that Tampa General plans to drive meaningful change, expand access to care and bring innovative health solutions to communities in need. TGH Foundation President Frann Leppla said the Morsanis' investment will help ensure the local community benefits from groundbreaking care closer to home. Stacey Brandt said the gift will help create opportunities for healing, innovation and better health outcomes, while Bobby Ginn said the philanthropic investment enables TGH Brooksville to advance its mission and invest in people, programs and technology.
The Morsanis said they hope the gift inspires others to invest in TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill. Frank Morsani said strong healthcare changes lives and strengthens the community, according to the outlet's report. Investment in the two hospitals will allow more community members to receive care closer to home, the article notes.
A Family Name Already Etched Into Tampa Bay Healthcare
This is not the Morsanis' first transformational gift to Tampa Bay healthcare. In December 2011, the couple donated $20 million to construct a new medical education building at the University of South Florida, prompting the university to rename its medical school the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, according to USF Health News. That gift brought the couple's total giving to USF to $43 million and anchored the university's downtown medical campus.
Frank Morsani built his fortune through Automotive Investments, Inc., operating more than 30 car dealerships nationwide after relocating to Tampa in 1971, having started his automotive career as a Ford service representative before purchasing Mercedes-Benz and Toyota dealerships in the city, per USF Health News. He also served as national chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1985–1986 and held small-business advisory appointments under Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, following his service in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, according to WUSF.
In 1996, the couple established an $8 million fund at the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, contributing to civic gifts that include naming rights for Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and major donations to Moffitt Cancer Center. That giving strategy, the outlet's report notes, follows Frank Morsani's personal philosophy of living life in thirds: learning, earning and returning. The Frank and Carol Morsani Foundation has donated millions to local institutions supporting healthcare, education and the arts, and the couple are described as Tampa Bay philanthropists and business leaders.
Fundraising Surge Fuels TGH's Regional Expansion
The gift lands amid a dramatic scaling of Tampa General's fundraising apparatus. Under Foundation President Frann Leppla, annual philanthropic contributions to the Tampa General Hospital Foundation grew from $1 million to $4 million a year in 2018 to more than $72 million in 2024, propelled by its Elevating Excellence capital campaign, according to Tampa General Hospital. The foundation doubled its overall assets and expanded its campaign goal to $200 million after surpassing its original $100 million target early. The Morsanis' donation follows a similarly sized gift covered in Hoodline's cancer lab report, part of a broader pattern of major philanthropic support flowing into the TGH Foundation.
Tampa General's ambitions in the region extend beyond fundraising. In October 2025, the hospital system acquired property in Central Citrus Hills to construct a new acute care hospital, medical office building and helipad for TGH North, expanding its footprint further into the Nature Coast region surrounding Hernando and Citrus counties. That expansion follows directly from the 2023 Bravera Health acquisition, and comes as Tampa General has pursued other emergency and trauma initiatives across its network, including a planned drone blood delivery program covered separately.
