Concierge Primary Care Near Harbour Island, Tampa

Harbour Island sits just across the Garrison Channel from downtown Tampa, close enough to walk downtown. It wasn’t always residential. The island was built up in the early 1900s from sand dredged for the port’s shipping channels and was named Seddon Island for W.L. Seddon, a Seaboard Air Line Railway engineer who directed the work. For about sixty years, freight trains crossed a 1908 steel lift bridge to its wharves and phosphate elevators, and ships loaded phosphate there into the late 1960s.

That changed after Beneficial Corporation bought the 177-acre island in 1979. The company renamed it Harbour Island around 1980-81. Ground was broken in 1983, the old railroad bridge came down in 1984, and the first hotel, office building, and shops opened in 1985. The first residents moved into the Seddon Cove and Harbour Court condominiums in 1986. From 1985 to 1999, an elevated people mover carried riders to a garage on Franklin Street downtown. It closed in 1999, and part of the settlement helped fund the TECO Line streetcar that runs today.

Island living, downtown address

Today, Harbour Island is a compact waterfront neighborhood of condominiums, townhomes, apartments, and some single-family homes, with a small commercial area along South Harbour Island Boulevard. The Harbour Island Bridge leads straight to the convention center and the downtown core. On the other side, the Beneficial Drive bridge, with buffered bike lanes, connects to Channelside. Residents can walk or bike to the Riverwalk, Water Street, and Sparkman Wharf without getting in a car.

That kind of walkable life works well until you need a doctor. Then the question becomes how far you’ll have to go and how long you’ll wait once you get there.

How close is AnswersMD?

The AnswersMD Tampa flagship office is at 2330 W Horatio St, Tampa, FL 33609, in South Tampa. From South Harbour Island Boulevard, it’s about 2.6 miles by road. The route goes over the Harbour Island Bridge to Franklin Street, then west across the Hillsborough River.

Two physicians across the river

Harbour Island members are seen at the Tampa office by one of two physicians. Douglas Shapiro, DO, founded AnswersMD and is board-certified in family medicine. Dr. W. Andrew “Drew” Meriwether, MD, FAAP, DABIM, holds board certifications in both internal medicine and pediatrics. Because the office sees patients from newborns up, a household on the island can keep parents and children with the same practice. Dr. Shapiro built AnswersMD around physicians who want to practice personal, unhurried primary care, and that’s the approach both doctors bring to the visit.

Built for a schedule that moves

A lot of Harbour Island residents keep full calendars. Some work in the towers across the channel, some travel often for business, and some split the year between Tampa and another home. AnswersMD is set up for that kind of life:

1. Your physician’s cell number. Call or text from the office tower across the channel, and switch to a video visit when a trip takes you out of town.
2. Time in the exam room. The practice keeps its patient panel small on purpose, so visits last as long as you need.
3. A plan for staying well. Executive physicals and advanced early-detection testing are chosen with your doctor, around your history.
4. One person tracking the referrals. When you need a specialist, your physician sets up the appointment and follows what happens next.

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

Visit before you decide

If you live on Harbour Island and want a primary care physician you can actually reach, start with a visit. 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.