BayCare tops out Manatee hospital

The final steel beam has been put in place at BayCare Hospital Manatee, the first hospital in Manatee County for the Clearwater-based nonprofit healthcare system. On Moccasin Wallow Road in Palmetto, the facility is scheduled to open in 2028. It will mark the 17th hospital for BayCare overall.

Hundreds gathered for a topping-out ceremonyJuly 10 at the hospital site, according to BayCare, including representatives from Alabama-based construction firm Robins & Morton, which is building the more than $560 million facility.

“Today’s milestone reflects more than progress on a building — it represents our commitment to bringing high-quality, compassionate care closer to home,” BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners says in a statement. “BayCare Hospital Manatee will expand access to critical services for families in this region and support the health of the community for years to come.”

When it opens, the more than 436,000-square-foot hospital will include 154 private patient rooms with the capacity to expand to 207 beds. It will be the first hospital north of the Manatee River and the county's only nonprofit hospital. 

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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. It will also include a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that nearly doubles access to this level of care in Manatee County, according to a statement, which says BayCare has six hospitals with NICUs.

The topping-out ceremony marked the second milestone for the new hospital this week. BayCare also named Patrick Downes the president of BayCare Hospital Manatee, effective July 5. He is also the president of BayCare's St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview.

“This topping-out ceremony marks an exciting step toward bringing BayCare’s mission to Manatee County,” Downes says in the statement. “As construction continues, we're focused on creating a hospital that expands access to high-quality care, supports the needs of this growing community and delivers an exceptional experience for patients, families and team members from day one.”

While the Manatee County hospital remains under construction, BayCare has been establishing its presence in the area. Adjacent to BayCare Hospital Manatee, a 46,000-square-foot outpatient facility called BayCare HealthHub will open later this year. It will house BayCare Medical Group providers as well as outpatient laboratory and imaging services. BayCare Medical Group also opened a primary care office in Palmetto in 2023 on 96th Street East, a little more than a mile from the hospital site.

BayCare, based in Clearwater, includes 16 hospitals and employs nearly 34,000 team members. It posted $6.97 billion in operating revenue in 2025. Its network also includes BayCare Urgent Care locations; laboratories; imaging services; surgical centers; multispecialty provider group BayCare Medical Group; and one of Florida’s largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare.