Cape Canaveral Hospital in Merritt Island Hosts Ceremony

March 5, 2026 – (from FLORIDA TODAY and SPACE COAST DAILY)

Health First hosted its official “topping-off beam ceremony” on Wednesday, March 4 when hundreds of employees signed the final steel beam to be used in building its new hospital on Merritt Island.

The ceremony marks the point when the structure reaches its final height. Health First officials expect the hospital to be open and running by the first half of 2027.

The new hospital is being built to replace Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach. Health First will close that hospital as the new one opens.

In the past, Cape Canaveral has been evacuated during hurricane threats.

Keila Stradtner, Health First’s vice president for construction and real estate, said the new hospital will be among the most resilient in the industry as many critical infrastructure components will be kept inside the Category 4 hurricane-rated building, making it less likely for those systems to go down in the event of a major storm.

The new hospital will have 120 private rooms; 25 emergency department treatment rooms; four emergency department treatment bays; and six operating rooms.

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 easy and convenient access within our campus.

The new project will also include a new 3-story, 92,000-square-foot Medical Office Building. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2026 and begin serving our community in early 2027 – simultaneously with the new Cape Canaveral Hospital.

(image is an artist’s rendering)

Source: FLORIDA TODAY ; SPACE COAST DAILY