Hurricane Irma closed Florida Hospital now facing wrecking ball

ORMOND BEACH — Nearly a year after damage from Hurricane Irma closed Florida Hospital Oceanside, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed this week that the prominent facility on State Road A1A will be demolished. But it’s not yet clear what will be built in its place. “Since the closure of the facility, much work has been underway to assess the structural integrity of the building and we have been working with regulatory agencies to determine the next steps,” hospital spokeswoman Lindsay Cashio said in an emailed statement to The News-Journal. “Due to significant damage from the storm, we have determined the need to raze the building.”
During Hurricane Irma, the hospital sustained wind and water damage and one of the exterior walls was compromised, according to Cashio. The hospital, which sits across A1A from the Atlantic Ocean, also sustained damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The initial plan after Irma pummeled the facility last September was to reopen the hospital after 18 months. But Cashio said the storm damage was too great.
Hurricanes have also damaged the the hospital is the past.
“Florida Hospital Oceanside is located steps from the Atlantic Ocean and has been vulnerable to storms every year during hurricane season,” Cashio said. “After the storms of 2004, it took Florida Hospital six months to reopen the facility due to damage.”
City of Ormond Beach Planning Director Steven Spraker said there have been discussions about the demolition, but no specific date has been set. “Members of the City’s Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) met with a civil engineer and contractor who discussed the demolition of the property at the end of July,” Spraker said. “The civil engineer did indicate that there was structural damage to the building and that the property owner was seeking demolition.”
Ormond Beach City Manager Joyce Shanahan said during a City Commission meeting last week that the hospital’s initial plans are to build a rehabilitation center, pharmacy and doctors offices. “The commission has indicated that they would like to see an urgent care or some sort of hospital on the beach-side since they have closed that,” Shanahan said. “They feel that a hospital or some urgent care should be in that facility.” Shanahan also expressed interest in using one of the four parcels the hospital sits on for off-beach parking. “I don’t think they are going to use all of that property,” Shanahan said. “I think there is an opportunity to do some off-beach parking, maybe with Volusia County.”
Florida Hospital is still finalizing their plans, Cashio said. “We understand that both residents and visitors to the beach-side community need access points to quality healthcare,” Cashio said. “For the last 18 years, we have been privileged to provide healthcare services in Ormond Beach, and we remain committed to caring for the beach-side community for many years to come. Additional details will be available as we work through this process and we hope to have finalized plans to share within the coming month.”
Earlier this year, the hospital chain received government permission to move rehabilitation beds that had been at Oceanside to Florida Hospital Memorial in Daytona Beach.
Daytona NewJournal