Sen. Rick Scott, Rep. Gus Bilirakis Tour Speros FL
Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Gus Bilirakis toured Moffitt Cancer Center’s under-construction Speros FL campus in Pasco County to learn more about the impact the innovation center will have on health care in Florida and the United States.
“We are ready for Florida to be the biotech headquarters of the world,” said Patrick Hwu, MD, president and CEO of Moffitt. “Speros will help us accelerate discoveries in cell and gene therapies, immunotherapies and more to deliver leading oncology care.”
Those technological advances that will come from Speros FL excited Bilirakis, who is the senior member of the Health Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Technological advancements such as cell and gene therapies hold great promise for life-changing breakthroughs in health care,” Bilirakis said. “We want to harness that potential by removing unnecessary bureaucratic roadblocks that stymie innovation and increase costs, all while maintaining the highest safety standards. I was also particularly impressed by the collaborative, interdisciplinary approach Moffitt is using to help spur innovation in health care.”
Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Gus Bilirakis tour the Speros FL site in Pasco County.
The tour let both lawmakers get an up-close look at some of the campus’s main features, like the proton therapy unit and clinic building, which they viewed from the construction site. Both indicated that the excitement around Speros FL is warranted, and they support the impact the campus will have on health care and Florida’s economy.
“It was great to be at the new Moffitt Speros campus in Land O’ Lakes with Congressman Gus Bilirakis and see innovation in health care in action,” Scott said. “As Florida’s governor and U.S. senator, I’ve fought hard to make the Sunshine State a leader in cancer treatment and disease research. Moffitt is a huge partner in that work to provide families with access to affordable, world-class care and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Prior to the tour of the Speros FL campus, Tim Adams, chair of Moffitt’s Board of Directors, compared the new campus’s impact on health care’s future to that of Los Alamos and its influence on atomic and nuclear energy as portrayed in the 2023 film “Oppenheimer.”
“Los Alamos was the site of nuclear advancements that were only in our imaginations before that,” Adams told the lawmakers. “I can’t help but to see the comparisons here at Speros and the impact that our scientists, researchers, bioengineers and doctors will have on the future of cancer care. It’s about collaboration and all these different areas working together and communicating. That’s exactly what will happen here at Speros.”
Following the brief tour of the campus, Bilirakis and Scott met with industry leaders to discuss the challenges in bringing new products and treatments to market. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average cost of doing so in the United States is $2.8 billion, with an estimated timeframe of 10 to 15 years.
During the roundtable, Scott praised Moffitt’s vision for Speros FL.
“This is a big opportunity and will continue to create an environment to make people want to live here,” Scott said. “The biggest limitation is always talent, and we need to show people that this is the best place to live and work.”
Bilirakis agreed and said he has high hopes for Speros FL’s impact on Pasco County and Florida as a whole.
“I’m confident that Speros will be home to many critical breakthroughs for cancer and other diseases while also serving as a supportive environment for cancer patients to receive cutting-edge, individualized treatment,” Bilirakis said. “You have to think outside the box to make advancements, and that is exactly what you’ve done here.”
The Speros FL campus is expected to open in 2026. Expansion at the site will continue well into the next few decades. It’s all in an effort to improve cancer care and health care in general, according to Hwu.
“We are laser-focused on bringing groundbreaking cancer therapies to our patients and saving more lives today and tomorrow,” Hwu said.
