Charlotte County’s HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital purchased a 4.3-acre site on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to Lee County property records.
Fawcett Memorial Hospital Inc. bought the site at 9726 Bonita Beach Road in late October for $4.5 million from Bonita Beach Land LLC, a Wisconsin LLC managed by Erdman Health Care Real Estate Group LLC.
Asked whether HCA would be building a hospital in Bonita Springs, HCA Director of Media Relations Debra McKell said there are no immediate plans for the property.
“We are always looking for ways to support the thriving communities we serve, and from time to time we purchase land for potential growth in the future,” McKell said in a written response.
HCA does, however, have two current projects planned in Fort Myers, including a 100-bed hospital at 3851 Colonial Blvd. and a freestanding emergency room at 8919 College Pointe Court.
McKell said “there is not an opening date yet for the planned hospital in Fort Myers.” The freestanding ER is a part of HCA Florida Fawcett hospital and is expected to open “in the next couple of weeks,” according to Fawcett Marketing and Public Relations Director Alexandria Benjamin.
The potential future expansion by HCA further into Lee County was made possible by the repeal in 2019 of the Certificate of Need law in Florida. Prior to the repeal, the state had to review construction plans for new or existing hospitals prior to any building or expansion, and hospitals had to demonstrate how the plans would fill the health care needs of the community. Repealing the CON law opened up the competitive landscape for hospitals in Florida that no longer need to prove how their plans will improve health care in their immediate area.
The repeal of the CON is also part of what made Lee Health’s Nov. 1 conversion from a public to a private nonprofit health care system possible. Lee Health said the conversion — made possible by a legislative enabling act in 2023 — was necessary in order for the system to be more competitive, including with opportunities to expand beyond Lee County.
