Concierge Primary Care Near Downtown Tampa

Downtown Tampa has been the city’s center since its beginnings at Fort Brooke, near the mouth of the Hillsborough River. For most of the 20th century, Franklin Street was Tampa’s main street. Nearly every streetcar line ran along it or crossed it, and it was lined with department stores and movie houses. The Tampa Theatre, designed by John Eberson, opened there on October 15, 1926, as the city’s first air-conditioned commercial building. When the theater was slated for demolition in 1973, residents rallied, the city stepped in, and it reopened in 1977. It turned 100 in October 2026.

Like a lot of American downtowns, Tampa’s emptied out after businesses and shoppers moved to the suburbs. Over the past two decades, people have been moving back. The Tampa Downtown Partnership now counts seven downtown neighborhoods, including the Downtown Core, River Arts, Water Street, and the Channel District. Each has residents of its own.

Living downtown today

Downtown life increasingly revolves around the water. The Tampa Riverwalk runs about 2.6 miles along the Hillsborough River to the Garrison Channel. It passes the 8-acre Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the museums near it, and the Straz Center farther north. To the southeast, Water Street has grown into a walkable district of more than 16 blocks with homes, hotels, offices, and shops. The Channel District next door is densely residential.

More is on the way. Two condominium towers are under construction along the Riverwalk, Pendry Residences Tampa and ONE Tampa, and both are expected to finish in 2027. Whether you’ve lived in a downtown high-rise for years or you’re planning a move, one thing stays the same: it helps to have a physician lined up before you need one. Both towers are named here only as geographic reference points. AnswersMD is an independent medical practice and is not affiliated with Pendry Residences Tampa or ONE Tampa.

How close is AnswersMD?

The AnswersMD Tampa flagship office is at 2330 W Horatio St, Tampa, FL 33609, just west of the river in South Tampa. Most downtown trips head west on Kennedy Boulevard across the Hillsborough River. By road it’s about:

• 2.2 miles from Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
• 2.4 miles from the Tampa Theatre on Franklin Street
• 2.8 miles from Sparkman Wharf on Channelside Drive

Your downtown doctor, a short drive west

From a downtown address, care at AnswersMD Tampa comes from two board-certified physicians. Founder Douglas Shapiro, DO, is a family physician. Dr. W. Andrew “Drew” Meriwether, MD, FAAP, DABIM, is certified in internal medicine and in pediatrics, which matters for downtown families with young children: the office sees patients from newborns up, and AnswersMD cares for whole families. The two share the same view of the job. Primary care, as Dr. Shapiro set up the practice, should be personal and unhurried.

Concierge care for city living

Downtown residents include young professionals in their first high-rise, couples who traded a house for a view of the river, and people keeping a second home near the Riverwalk. AnswersMD is built to work for each of them:

• An intentionally small patient panel, so your physician has time to know you.
• Visits that last as long as you need, with room for every question you came in with.
• Direct cell access to your physician, by phone or text, and video visits when you’re out of town.
• Prevention and longevity focus, including executive physicals and advanced early-detection testing chosen with your physician.
• Specialist coordination, with your physician arranging referrals and staying involved.

House calls are available on a case-by-case basis.

Visit before you decide

If you live downtown, or you’re about to, start by meeting the physician who would care for you. Schedule a complimentary meet & greet and office tour: call 813-333-8888. Allison, the practice’s AI phone assistant, can answer your questions and get you set up. You can also visit AnswersMD.com.

AnswersMD’s physicians are welcoming new members.