Metro Breaks Ground on 1,100-Acre Sunrise Hills in Hernando County

Metro Development Group has broken ground on Sunrise Hills, a 1,100-acre master-planned community on Cortez Boulevard near Interstate 75 in Hernando County, about 50 miles north of downtown Tampa. The company expects nearly 4,000 homes at buildout, with DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar as the builders (Florida Construction News; Construction Review Online).

Sunrise Hills is the first of two large Metro communities in the county to break ground. A second, Sandal Key, is scheduled to begin lagoon construction in December 2026, and together the two projects cover nearly 2,000 acres and more than 7,200 planned homes (Florida Construction News).

What Happened

Florida Construction News reported the groundbreaking on October 21, 2026. Lisa Gibbings, Metro's vice president of corporate affairs, said, "Sunrise Hills represents a significant expansion of our investment in Hernando County," and described the project as bringing the company's "inland coastal lifestyle to a 1,100-acre site with three national homebuilders" (Florida Construction News).

The site sits along Cortez Boulevard close to I-75, near Sherman Hills Golf Course and the Withlacoochee State Trail, in the Brooksville area (Construction Review Online). The entrance will feature a redesigned monument with silo-style elements inspired by Brooksville's Silo Project (Florida Construction News).

Key Project Details

• Developer: Metro Development Group, the Tampa Bay developer behind Mirada, Epperson, Angeline, Southshore Bay and Seaire (Florida Construction News).
• Size: 1,100 acres (Metro Development Group).
• Homes: Nearly 4,000 per Florida Construction News; Metro's community page lists more than 4,000 planned, including single-family homes and townhomes (Florida Construction News; Metro Development Group).
• Builders: DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar, with model homes planned but not yet open (Metro Development Group).
• Amenities: A 2.5-acre lagoon as the centerpiece, miles of trails and parks (Florida Construction News).
• Technology features: Metro lists ULTRAFi high-speed internet and Streetleaf solar-powered streetlights, with smart-home features varying by builder (Metro Development Group).
• Cost: Not disclosed (Florida Construction News).

Where Things Stand

Construction Review Online reported a broader development program for the site that goes beyond the headline home count: 4,200 single-family homes, 600 multifamily units, 50,000 square feet of office space, 325,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, 75 motel units and 40,000 square feet of storage. The outlet cautioned that the approval and construction status of each component still needs confirmation (Construction Review Online). The two outlets' home counts differ, and the mixed-use figures should be treated as entitlement-level numbers rather than a confirmed build plan.

On timing, Construction Review Online cited a previously reported target of finished lots delivered to homebuilders by the end of 2026, and noted that this is not a confirmed move-in date. It also reported that county records show a utility easement for a water main tied to the development. The full construction schedule, total budget and commercial opening dates have not been disclosed (Construction Review Online).

Sandal Key, Metro's 872-acre community nearby, is planned for more than 3,000 homes and a lagoon with a lazy river, with lagoon construction expected to begin in December 2026 (Florida Construction News).

Market Context

The groundbreaking comes during a soft stretch for national housing. U.S. housing starts fell 5.2 percent in September to a 1.221 million annual rate, as we covered in our September housing starts report, and builder confidence dropped to its lowest level since 2012 in October. Large master-planned communities are long-horizon bets, and lot delivery, horizontal infrastructure and amenity construction usually move ahead of home sales cycles. Metro is also active elsewhere in the Tampa Bay region; in St. Petersburg, Metro and Porter Development started the first phase of Azalea Cay on the former Raytheon site earlier this month.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Horizontal work first: A 1,100-acre community means years of earthwork, stormwater ponds, roads, water and sewer mains, and dry utilities before most homes go up. Site, underground utility and paving contractors in Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties are the first to see the work.
• Amenity construction: Lagoon systems, clubhouses and trail networks are separate packages that often go to specialty contractors and commercial builders.
• Commercial pads later: If the retail, office and motel components move forward, they would create vertical commercial opportunities along Cortez Boulevard in later phases.
• County infrastructure: With Sunrise Hills and Sandal Key planned for more than 7,200 homes combined, watch for related county road, utility and school capacity projects in Hernando County.

What to Watch

• Lot deliveries to DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar and the opening of model homes.
• Confirmation of the multifamily and commercial components and their approvals.
• The December start of lagoon construction at Sandal Key.
• Hernando County utility and transportation improvements tied to the two communities.

Bottom Line

Metro Development Group has started site work on Sunrise Hills, a 1,100-acre, nearly 4,000-home community north of Tampa, with three national builders lined up. Budget, schedule and the final commercial mix remain undisclosed, but the near-term work is clearly horizontal infrastructure and amenities.

Related Coverage

• September Housing Starts Fall 5.2% to 1.221 Million Annual Rate
• Builder Confidence Falls to 29 in October, Lowest Since 2012
• Azalea Cay Starts $109.8 Million First Phase on Former Raytheon Site in St. Petersburg

Image credit: Florida Construction News. Image from the source article.

Sources

• Florida Construction News, "Metro Development Group breaks ground on 1,100-acre Hernando County community": https://www.floridaconstructionnews.com/metro-development-group-breaks-ground-on-1100-acre-hernando-county-community/
• Construction Review Online, "Metro Development Group Breaks Ground on 1,100-Acre Sunrise Hills Community in Florida": https://constructionreviewonline.com/metro-development-group-breaks-ground-on-1100-acre-sunrise-hills-community-in-florida/
• Metro Development Group, "Sunrise Hills" community page: https://metrodevelopmentgroup.com/communities/sunrise-hills/