Sarasota County Chosen by Jackson Labs for New Research Institute

Sarasota County announced today that Jackson Laboratories, a medical research company, has chosen the county as the location for a new personalized medicine institute. The announcement was made this morning at a news conference held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Resort in downtown Sarasota, a county release said.

“Bringing Jackson Labs to Sarasota County will help us meet our biggest priorities over the next several years,” said Sarasota County Commission chair Nora Patterson. “The Institute will help diversify our economy while creating hundreds of jobs, making this a landmark investment in the future of Sarasota County.”

The project, to be known as The Jackson Laboratory-Florida, will be housed in a 120,000 square-foot facility to be built in Sarasota County at a site to be selected. According to Sarasota County it will collaborate with the Institute to build a major biomedical industry presence in the county. The Institute could generate as many as 2,200 new jobs and $600 million per year of economic activity by 2030, according to Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley.

“We believe Sarasota County has the resources we can draw upon as we create a new generation of medical treatments based on the unique genetic makeup of individual patients,” said Charles Hewett, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Jackson Laboratory. “Over time, we look forward to expanding its operations in Sarasota County.”

The project is in partnership with Jackson Laboratories, the University of South Florida (USF), Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The partnership will strengthen local and regional public/private partnerships in an effort to bolster economic development and job creation in Sarasota County.

“We partnered with the right groups, educational, medical and non-profit, to offer a proposal that showcased why Sarasota County is the best location for this cutting edge medical science,” said Jim Ley, Sarasota County administrator.   

Sarasota County officials indicated they will seek voter approval for the necessary investment of the county funds. A referendum could be held as early as July.

“Sarasota County voters have recently been very supportive of economic development initiatives,” said Ley. “We believe the approval of funding for Jackson Labs will have the same support.”

If the public approves the funding, construction on the project could begin within 12 months after the vote. The Institute could begin operations in temporary offices immediately after funding is secured.