The dirt is moving on another big Tampa Bay-area community, and this one is in Hernando County.
Metro Development Group broke ground Oct. 14 on Sunrise Hills, a 1,100-acre master-planned community along Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville. The Tampa-based developer says the project is expected to include nearly 4,000 homes, a 2.5-acre lagoon and miles of walking trails. The company announced the groundbreaking on its own website, and the release also went out on Business Wire on Oct. 20.
"Sunrise Hills represents a significant expansion of our investment in Hernando County," said Lisa Gibbings, Metro's vice president of corporate affairs. "We've listened to buyers and builders who want more than homes."
Who's building, and when
Three national builders are signed on: DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar. Metro's release says the builders will bring a range of floor plans and price points, but it doesn't give prices, lot sizes or a home count for each builder.
The most useful date in the announcement for the trades: Metro says it expects to deliver finished homesites to builders by the end of this year. That puts vertical construction on the calendar for 2027, after site work, roads and utilities wrap on the first phase.
The company also says the plan calls for shopping, dining and office space over time, though it gives no square footage or timeline for the commercial piece.
Location and design
Sunrise Hills sits near Sherman Hills Golf Course and the Withlacoochee State Trail, with access to Interstate 75. Metro puts it about 50 miles from downtown Tampa. The entry monument is being redesigned with silo-style features inspired by Brooksville's Silo Project, a public art landmark in town.
Like Metro's other communities, the amenity package is built around water. The 2.5-acre lagoon is smaller than the company's signature MetroLagoon projects in Pasco County, but it's the centerpiece of the plan.
A second Hernando project is next
Sunrise Hills isn't Metro's only bet on the county. Just down the road, its Sandal Key community covers 872 acres and is planned for more than 3,000 homes. Metro says Sandal Key will feature the company's first lazy river built into a lagoon, and it's set to break ground in December 2026.
Together, the two projects cover nearly 2,000 acres and more than 7,200 homes at full buildout, according to Metro. The developer's Florida portfolio also includes Epperson, Mirada, Angeline, Southshore Bay and Seaire in the Tampa Bay area. Metro says Mirada and Angeline ranked among the 30 top-selling master-planned communities in the country in 2025.
Why it matters for Contractors
More than 7,000 homes across two communities is years of steady work in a county that hasn't seen this kind of volume. Site contractors, utility crews and paving outfits are up first, and Metro's year-end lot delivery target means that work is happening now.
Once lots are handed over, three production builders will be competing for the same framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians and drywall crews in the same corridor. That tends to tighten the local labor pool. Hernando and Citrus County subs who already work for D.R. Horton, Lennar or DRB should expect calls. Those who don't should be reaching out to each builder's Tampa division before the 2027 start schedules get set.