HCA Florida Healthcare and the City of Cape Coral plan a $300 million hospital at 322 SW Pine Island Road. The three story, 200,000 SF facility will hold up to 100 acute care beds in phase one. Construction starts in 2027 and the hospital is expected to open in 2029.
A freestanding emergency department in Cape Coral is set to become the anchor of a full service hospital under a roughly $300 million plan announced August 14, 2026 by HCA Florida Healthcare and city officials.
HCA Florida Cape Coral Hospital will rise at 322 SW Pine Island Road, the address where HCA Florida Cape Coral Emergency operates today. Rather than start on an untouched parcel, the health system intends to expand that existing emergency care site into a facility carrying both inpatient and outpatient services.
Design parameters released with the announcement put the building at three stories and approximately 200,000 SF. An initial phase would deliver up to 100 acute care beds, an emergency department, operating rooms and a cardiac catheterization lab, with room to add capacity as demand in the area increases. Service lines identified for the campus include emergency care, surgical services, cardiovascular services, inpatient care, outpatient services and imaging.
Schedule guidance points to a construction start in 2027 and an opening in 2029.
Jyric Sims, Ph.D., president of HCA Healthcare West Florida Division, described the project as part of a broader effort to widen access to care across Lee County. He pointed to the acquisition of HCA Florida Lehigh Hospital, the opening of HCA Florida West Fort Myers Emergency and construction of HCA Florida Alico Emergency, which is planned to open in late 2026. Sims characterized the Cape Coral freestanding emergency room as an earlier move in that sequence and the hospital as the next one.
Mayor John Gunter said bringing a second hospital to the city has been a priority of his tenure, and framed the arrangement as a partnership tied to economic development and job creation alongside wider emergency and acute care coverage.
Population growth across Cape Coral was cited as a driver behind the added capacity and patient choice.
Once operating, the campus will connect to HCA Florida Healthcare’s statewide network, giving patients a route to specialists and clinical resources at other facilities. Completion would make it the 19th hospital in HCA Healthcare West Florida Division, according to materials released by the health system and the City of Cape Coral.