HCA looks to expand St. Lucie Hospital in Port St. Lucie, add floors to existing buildings

Wicker Perlis, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read
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PORT ST. LUCIE — An expansion plan is in the works at HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital that could see two stories added onto existing sections of the facility, after the City Council voted Monday to allow the height limit there to be raised.

The council unanimously supported a measure to rezone part of the property, which would allow a three-story section to be expanded to five stories, matching the other five-story sections of the hospital.

"It would be just one five-story uniform building throughout the entire complex," City Planner Francis Forman said.

This undated photo shows the exterior of St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. It was renamed HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital in March 2022.
This undated photo shows the exterior of St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. It was renamed HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital in March 2022.

According to city documents and those submitted by HCA Healthcare, the expansion would focus on increasing the number of beds "to continue to adequately serve the growing population and address non-conforming elements of the existing site arrangement."

Representatives for HCA Healthcare did not respond to a request for comment on details of the expansion, its cost or the number of beds that would be added.

The hospital is at the southeast corner of SE Tiffany Avenue and SE Hillmoor Drive, and the rezoning will apply to about 17 acres of its campus.

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The increase of the hospital height limit led Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo to call for the city to look at broader increases to height limits when it next updates its Comprehensive Plan. Caraballo has made similar statements in the recent past.

"This is a perfect example of why I'm looking forward to the Comprehensive Plan being closely looked at," Caraballo said, adding that she hears concerns from residents about hospital capacities as the city continues to grow.

Councilmembers voiced excitement about the expansion.

"My only question is how soon can you get the expansion done?" Councilman Anthony Bonna asked. "This is really good news."

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com and 504-331-0516.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: PSL City Council approves height change for HCA St. Lucie Hospital