By HFT Staff

BayCare marked a major milestone with a topping out ceremony for BayCare Hospital Manatee, placing the final steel beam for the health system's first hospital in Manatee County and advancing its efforts to expand access to care for a rapidly growing community. 

With signatures on the final steel beam, BayCare leaders and project partners celebrated a pivotal moment in the construction of BayCare Hospital Manatee in Palmetto, Florida. 

Once complete, BayCare Hospital Manatee will bring a comprehensive range of health care services closer to home for residents across the region. Scheduled to open in 2028, the more than 436,000-square-foot hospital will feature 154 private patient rooms, with the capacity to expand to 207 beds as community needs grow. It will become BayCare's 17th hospital, Manatee County's only not-for-profit hospital and the first hospital north of the Manatee River.  

Designed as a full-service acute care facility, BayCare Hospital Manatee will offer emergency care, general and specialty surgery, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology, orthopedics, diagnostic and interventional imaging, obstetrics and neonatology. The hospital also will include a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). 

The hospital is part of a broader care network that includes BayCare HealthHub (Manatee), an adjacent outpatient facility expected to open in late 2026. BayCare currently operates seven HealthHub locations across West Central Florida. 

Spanning more than 46,000 square feet, BayCare HealthHub (Manatee) is designed to provide care in one location, including: 

• Primary and specialty care through BayCare Medical Group 
• Outpatient laboratory services 
• Advanced imaging, including MRI, CT, PET CT, mammography, X-ray, DEXA and ultrasound