Metro Development Group has broken ground on Sunrise Hills, a planned 1,100-acre residential community along Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville, Florida, where plans call for nearly 4,000 homes, a 2.5-acre lagoon and miles of trails.
The development will combine residential neighborhoods with recreational amenities and planned commercial uses in Hernando County, north of Tampa. Its location near Interstate 75 provides access to Brooksville and the wider Tampa Bay region, while nearby destinations include Sherman Hills Golf Course and the Withlacoochee State Trail.
The community is planned to feature homes built by DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar. Its design also includes an entrance monument with silo-style features inspired by Brooksville’s local identity.
The groundbreaking marks an initial construction milestone for a development expected to take shape in multiple phases. Metro has not disclosed a complete construction schedule, total project budget or final delivery date for the full community.
Residential development extends beyond housing
Sunrise Hills’ planned scope goes beyond the nearly 4,000 homes highlighted in the groundbreaking announcement.
The broader development program has been reported to include 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.
These figures describe a wider development program than the headline home count alone. The precise status of each component, including which elements have received final approvals and which are scheduled for construction, requires confirmation against the applicable development records.
If delivered as planned, the mix of residential and commercial uses would make Sunrise Hills more than a conventional housing subdivision. The proposed office and retail space could accommodate businesses and services within the community, while the motel and storage components represent additional planned uses.
The company has not announced a final breakdown of construction costs across the different components or confirmed when the commercial facilities will open.
Lagoon and trails form the recreational centerpiece
The planned 2.5-acre lagoon is among Sunrise Hills’ principal amenities. Miles of trails and other recreational spaces are also intended to provide residents with opportunities for outdoor activities within the development.
The community’s design draws on Brooksville’s surroundings through an entrance monument incorporating silo-style elements inspired by the city’s Silo Project. The name Sunrise Hills also reflects the area’s association with sunrise in Hernando County.
These features form part of a master-planned approach in which shared amenities complement individual homes. The project will include three national homebuilders, with DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar delivering homes within the larger development.
The announcement does not establish when the lagoon, trails or other shared facilities will be completed relative to the first homes. Their delivery schedule remains an important milestone to watch as construction progresses.
Finished lots are a key next milestone
A project of this size requires more than home construction. Land preparation, roads, drainage, utilities and other infrastructure must be coordinated with the delivery of individual residential phases and shared facilities.
A previously reported construction milestone called for finished lots to be delivered to homebuilders by the end of 2026. Finished lots are prepared parcels on which homebuilders can construct houses, and their delivery is distinct from the completion of homes or the opening of the wider community.
That target provides a useful measure of progress beyond the groundbreaking itself, but it should not be interpreted as a confirmed date for the first residents to move in.
Water and sewer infrastructure will also be important to the project’s delivery. County records have documented a utility easement associated with the Sunrise development, allowing access to a water main for maintenance, repairs and upgrades. The easement provides a specific example of utility coordination, but it does not establish the project’s total infrastructure requirements or confirm that all necessary capacity is available.
The company has not published a complete schedule for roadworks, utility installation, home construction or the rollout of the community’s commercial and recreational facilities.
A larger residential pipeline in Hernando County
Sunrise Hills is part of a wider residential development pipeline in Hernando County. Metro Development Group is also developing Sandal Key, an 872-acre community planned for more than 3,000 homes and a lagoon featuring a lazy river.
Metro has said construction on the Sandal Key lagoon is expected to begin in December 2026. Together, Sunrise Hills and Sandal Key are planned to cover nearly 2,000 acres and accommodate more than 7,200 homes at full buildout.
The scale of these developments makes their eventual delivery dependent on the coordinated rollout of residential construction, infrastructure and shared amenities. The full development timeline for Sunrise Hills remains undisclosed.
Elsewhere in Florida, residential construction is also advancing through smaller rental-focused projects. In Deltona, Anchor Loans has closed $58.5 million in construction financing for Magnolia Cottages and Magnolia Villas, two adjacent communities planned to provide 279 rental homes.
The Deltona developments focus on homes intended for long-term rental, while Sunrise Hills combines multiple homebuilders and a broader master-planned development. Both projects illustrate different ways developers are adding to Florida’s planned housing supply.
Project Factsheet: Sunrise Hills master-planned community
- Location: Cortez Boulevard, Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida
- Developer: Metro Development Group
- Site area: Approximately 1,100 acres
- Planned housing: Nearly 4,000 homes in the groundbreaking announcement
- Reported broader development program: 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
- Planned lagoon: 2.5 acres
- Other planned amenities: Miles of trails and recreational spaces
- Participating homebuilders: DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar
- Nearby transport route: Interstate 75
- Other development in Hernando County: Sandal Key, planned for more than 3,000 homes across approximately 872 acres
- Combined planned housing at Sunrise Hills and Sandal Key: More than 7,200 homes at full buildout
- Groundbreaking: Announced October 20, 2026
- Reported finished-lot target: End of 2026; current schedule remains to be confirmed
- Total project budget: Not disclosed
- Full buildout schedule: Not disclosed
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