A big step in the process of creating two new hospitals in south Sarasota County happened Monday, when state regulators issued a final order issuing “certificates of need.”

That will -at last- clear the way for construction to begin.

Two months ago, a judge ruled that both Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Venice Regional Bayfront Health would both “serve public needs” by creating new acute-care facilities in Venice.

The Herald-Tribune reports both health care providers greeted the state’s announcement with enthusiasm yesterday.