BREVARD COUNTY, FL — Gilbane recently attended the groundbreaking celebration of the Cape Canaveral Hospital and Medical Office Building in Merritt Island. Collaborating with project partners, Lawrence Group, Concord Group, and BCER, for design, project management, and engineering, this facility will replace the current Cape Canaveral Hospital, providing the Brevard community with access to modern medical treatments and wellness programs. The new hospital is poised to elevate health care services on Florida’s space coast.

Expected to cost approximately $410 million, construction is slated to finish by the end of 2026, and the hospital will officially open to the public in early 2027. The new 268,000-square-foot Cape Canaveral Hospital will include 120 private inpatient beds, 25 Emergency Department treatment rooms, and six operating rooms.

“We’re thrilled to begin work on a facility that will greatly benefit the residents of Brevard County and beyond,” said Shane Burnsed, Central Florida Business Leader at Gilbane. “Recognizing the evolving landscape of health care, we’re committed to constructing top-notch facilities that caters to the changing needs of patients, ensuring efficient and patient-centered care.”

The Lawrence Group has designed the hospital 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.

“Gilbane has been a wonderful partner on this project, with its highly functioning and collaborative team," said Lawrence Group President Mike Schnaare. "Throughout the process, we worked seamlessly with Gilbane to ensure our entire design and construction team focused solely on fulfilling the owner’s goals and objectives. We have truly enjoyed our work with them and their subcontractors in delivering the best value to Health First for their replacement hospital.”

The campus will feature ample parking, including 296 paved/surface parking spots and 533 covered/structure parking spots. The three-deck parking structure and surface parking spots will provide convenient access to the campus.

The new project will also include a new three-story, 92,000-square-foot medical office building. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2026 and begin serving the community in early 2027 — simultaneously with the new Cape Canaveral Hospital.