City breaks ground on Fire Station 24 in North Tampa after years of delays

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Fire Rescue broke ground Monday on Fire Station 24, moving forward on a long-delayed project to improve emergency response times in North Tampa.

North Tampa station

What we know:

City leaders broke ground on the 17,000-square-foot facility, which is being built inside Greco Park.

Officials said the new TFR station will include four apparatus bays, living quarters, administrative spaces, and a training tower. They say the building design is fully ADA-accessible to help firefighters move faster in responding to calls.

The project faced construction delays and hold-ups throughout its design phase.

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera was a staunch advocate for Station 24. Over the last several years, he emphasized a need for more emergency response resources, as calls surged in the North Tampa area.

Station 24 will help alleviate pressure on Station 13, which serves the Busch Gardens and Fowler Avenue area. Station 13 has been one of the busiest fire stations in the city since about 2020, according to city leaders.

"That served the North Tampa area, near the Busch Gardens, North Tampa, Fowler area, was one of 23 fire stations at the time, but took up about one in seven calls," Viera said. "That year, it was the 54th busiest fire station in all of our United States of America."

Flood protection plan

What we don't know:

City leaders confirmed the fire station is built above the 100-year flood plain to withstand future severe weather. The need for stronger emergency infrastructure and more resources became clear after catastrophic flooding hit North Tampa during Hurricane Milton in 2024.

Station completion timeline

What's next:

The city says construction of Station 24 is expected to be done in the fall of 2027.

Tampa