Construction Begins on Cape Canaveral Replacement Hospital, MOB

A groundbreaking celebration marked the start of construction on Health First’s 268,000-square-foot Cape Canaveral Hospital and 92,000-square-foot medical office building in Merritt Island, Florida. The hospital will replace the current Cape Canaveral Hospital.

Expected to cost approximately $410 million, construction is slated to finish by the end of 2026, and the hospital will open to the public in early 2027. The new hospital will include 120 private inpatient beds, 25 emergency department treatment rooms and six operating rooms.

The hospital was designed to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Continuation of care and the potential for evacuation will be evaluated for individual storms in consultation with state officials. The entire campus site will also be constructed 13 feet above sea level to withstand storm surges. The campus will be served by an onsite central energy plant, built to ensure continuous power function even during tropical storms and hurricanes.

Project plans also include simultaneous construction of a three-story MOB, expected to be completed by late 2026. The project team includes Gilbane Building Company, the Lawrence Group, Concord Group and BCER.