The Florida Strawberry Festival recently invested $3 million to acquire property, including former hospital parking lots and a detached building, as confirmed by property records. The newly purchased land spans 7.04 acres, marking a significant addition to the Festival’s growing footprint.
The newly acquired lots, marked in red, include portions along W Reynolds St, with the majority of the land stretching along W Oak Ave. While the Festival has not specified its plans for the site, it’s anticipated that the area may serve as additional parking or vendor storage, accommodating the logistical demands of the annual event.
It is not clear yet if the Strawberry Festival will purchase the land that the old hospital currently sits on once it is demolished. You can read more about the plans for the old hospital demolition here Permit filed for Demolition of old South Florida Baptist Hospital
Over the past decade, the Festival has been on an ambitious expansion path, enhancing the grounds with new buildings and amenities to elevate the attendee experience. Set to debut in 2025, a new soundstage will complement the recently built grandstands. With attendance growing year after year, the additional land could potentially be used to reallocate parking, opening up more space for Festival attractions. However, this is speculative, as Festival organizers have not yet released any official announcements about the land purchase other than releasing information regarding the soundstage expansion and the musical lineup for the upcoming season.
We will be closely monitoring this development and will make sure to bring you any updates as soon as we learn about them.
Plant City Insider 
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