COVID-19 alert: Robins & Morton to convert Miami Beach Convention Center into a 450-bed field hospital
By ROBERT CASSIDY, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Robins & Morton, one of the nation’s leading healthcare construction companies, is converting 250,000 square feet of the Miami Beach Convention Center into a 450-bed field hospital, including isolation rooms. The Army Corps of Engineers announced the project at a press conference Wednesday, April 8, joined by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Miami Beach Convention Center retrofit is part of the Corps' ongoing effort to convert convention centers, hotels, and closed hospitals to alleviate pressure on local hospitals from the anticipated surges of COVID-19 patients.
The Army Corps of Engineers selected Robins & Morton to perform the $22.5 million contract. The facility is scheduled to be ready to receive patients on April 21, giving the general contractor two weeks to go from bare floors to a working hospital.
“As we were wrapping up details of the contract, we were already working on the logistics and had our key project team members in place within 24 hours so that work could start the next day,” said Robins & Morton Senior Project Manager Johnathan Peavy. “Turning an empty space into a hospital in such a short time is a huge undertaking, but everyone on the project is committed to working with the Army Corps of Engineers to get this done. We know how important this is to the state of the Florida and the Miami Beach community during the public health emergency.”
TWO SHIFTS, WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK
As the project quickly ramps up, up to 250 people—including craft professionals and more than 40 members of the Robins & Morton team—will be working around the clock in two shifts. Robins & Morton quickly pulled together more than 20 contractors from South Florida to support the project. In addition to coordinating the work, Robins & Morton will follow COVID-19 health and safety protocols and CDC guidelines to help protect everyone on the job.
“There’s a tremendous amount of logistical challenges we have to solve in the first few days,” said Peavy. “Fortunately, we have long-term relationships with a number of trade contractors and vendors who have worked with us on other healthcare projects.”
Robins & Morton has a long history of major healthcare construction in Miami and across Florida and has offices in Miami and Orlando, with corporate headquarters in Birmingham, Ala.
ABOUT ROBINS & MORTON
Robins & Morton is a privately held construction firm based in Birmingham, Ala., with offices in Charlotte, Dallas, Huntsville, Miami, Nashville, and Orlando. The firm specializes in the construction of healthcare, hospitality, higher education, entertainment, sports and government buildings. Robins & Morton is consistently ranked as one of the top 100 contractors in the United States, and one of the top 15 in the Southeast. To learn more about Robins & Morton, visit: www.robinsmorton.com.