St. Lucie County’s four hospitals have experienced an abundance of activity recently, a healthy mix of new construction, additions to already existing spaces, and updated equipment and services.
And plans for future renovations are already in the works.
At HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, the final beam for new floor was placed on Friday above the newest tower. The floor will house a 32-bed addition that is scheduled to open during the first quarter of next year.
Also coming next year: a recently approved five-story parking garage, which will be built on an existing surface parking lot at 1700 South 23rd St. The garage site consists of about 3.5 acres of the entire 22-acre site, and will contain 591 parking spaces with 10 dedicated for electric vehicles. The elevator and stairway area will reach 58 feet, 6 inches and contain three elevators.
“Cranes get me excited,” said Lawnwood CEO Eric Goldman, who looks forward to more growth at the hospital.
The 32-bed addition will bring the hospital’s bed capacity to 529. With hospital visitors already having difficulty finding parking spaces at busy times, the planned parking garage will help alleviate the increased traffic.
“The parking garage was a critical component to be able to continue growing,” Alex Masmela, HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital’s chief operating officer, said in February after the Fort Pierce City Commission approved a major site plan application last week giving the go-ahead for the new garage, the cost of which is approximately $26 million.
Once the current renovations, additions and new construction is complete, Goldman visualizes transformations of the hospital footprint and hopes that Lawnwood one day will have only private rooms.
During Goldman’s eight years at the helm of HCA Lawnwood, 600 employees have been added, and new technologies and treatment options introduced. Over that same period, over $300 million has been invested in the facility.
HCA Lawnwood houses the only Level III NICU and Level II trauma center on the Treasure Coast. “Our helipad is the busiest airport in the county,” Goldman said. “Last year we received over 4,400 patients that the area hospitals didn’t have the expertise to handle. It makes me particularly proud.”
Asked about the competition, with Florida Coast Medical Center – the county’s fourth hospital – now in the mix, Goldman said, “We compete, but in many ways, we need each other. I think one of the biggest challenges that all of the hospitals face is a shortage of physicians.”
Meanwhile, HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital recently opened its Level II NICU and will expand it this summer by adding some Level III beds. The whole floor is planned around mom-and-baby safety and comfort, according to hospital spokesperson Vincent Postiglione.
“Right now, we’re also in the process of renovating our prior OB space so that when it’s complete later, in about August, it will match the fit, function and finish of our brand-new labor and delivery/NICU space on the new floors of our North Tower expansion,” said Postiglione via email in reference to the South Tower of the hospital. The same expansion added 35 medical surgical beds to support the significant increase in surgical patients coming for Joint Replacement.
HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital was named No. 1 in Florida for joint replacement in 2026 by Healthgrades.
The U.S. 1 facility will open its new 661-space parking garage in under two weeks. “It’s going to be a game changer for providing better access to our incredible caregivers for patients and their families.
“Our next expansion project was just approved and is very exciting,” Postiglione said, explaining that the front of the hospital was to undergo a major renovation that will expand and open the lobby to include a “beautiful three-story atrium.” In addition, there will be a kitchen and cafeteria area expansion, a renovation to the ED, cardiac catheterization lab and operating rooms.
Asked about the hospital’s financial health, Postiglione said, “While I can’t speak specifically to numbers, we have and are continuing to make significant investments to grow our campus and team to continue to provide the care excellence our Treasure Coast families expect and deserve from a best-in-class hospital like ours.”
The Martin Health system – which includes Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital and Martin North and Martin South hospitals – has also seen significant growth.
• From 2019 to 2025, the system has grown by 30.7 percent including in-hospital and outpatient services.
• The physician staff has grown from 96 physicians in 2019 to 266 today.
• Advanced practice providers grew from 47 in 2019 to 213 today.
• Doctor-patient relationships have improved with use of technology like AI Scribe, which allows for more time with the patient.
• Physicians have been added in urology, genitourinary oncology and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.
• Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation has been achieved.
• The system is “poised for growth in the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center at Martin North and Tradition Hospital with services in oncology, GI cancers and colorectal surgery.”
• A recent patient had minimally invasive brain surgery – through her eyelid – to repair an aneurysm.
Florida Coast Medical Center, which opened in September 2025, continues to invest in new equipment and services. The hospital recently added a new state-of-the-art MRI system and built a second cardiac catheterization lab, projects that represent over $5.5 million in new investments.
“Our team worked incredibly hard to open this hospital on schedule for the community, but the opening was just the start,” said Tyler Sherrill, Florida Coast CEO. “We are committed to making sure patients on the Treasure Coast can receive leading-edge care close to home while also creating outstanding career opportunities for healthcare professionals who want to serve their own community. These investments show just how serious we are about building something special here.”
The hospital’s $4 million Siemens 1.5 Tesla Magnetom Altea system is made to deliver high-resolution images for a range of specialties. The system includes metal-reduction software so that physicians can safely image patients with prosthetic joints as well as those with pacemakers and other devices. It also has a “wide-bore, open-ended design” allowing comfort for patients who suffer from claustrophobia.
The second cardiac catheterization lab was a $1.5 million investment. It mirrors the original lab. “The expansion comes as the hospital prepares to further enhance its cardiovascular services and work toward becoming a STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) receiving facility, allowing patients experiencing severe heart attacks to receive rapid, lifesaving treatment locally,” reads an April 2 press release featuring the new lab and equipment.
“We’re proud to continue investing in the people, technology and services that will make Florida Coast Medical Center a long-term healthcare leader for this region,” Sherrill said.