Within the next few years, Polk County residents will have a valuable new option for quality cancer care that won’t involve driving to Tampa or Orlando.
On February 15, 2026, at the 31st Annual Magnolia Ball in Tampa, local philanthropists Wesley Barnett and Ashley Bell Barnett of Lakeland pledged $10 million to Moffitt Cancer Center towards the development of a state-of-the-art outpatient facility of Moffitt Cancer Center to be built in Polk County. The Magnolia Ball is Moffitt Cancer Center’s annual signature fundraising event.
Ashley says the new Moffitt location, which will be built on a 34-acre site in Highland City, will fundamentally change the access Polk County residents have to cancer care.
“Just having first-hand knowledge of friends and family affected by cancer has shown me how significant the need is to have options for treatment,” Ashley says…