Construction delays plague new Tampa fire station, frustrating city council members

New fire station delays

Tampa Fire Rescue is looking to expand its reach with a new fire station on East Whiteway Drive in the University area. Briona Arradondo reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Fire Rescue is looking to expand its reach with a new fire station on East Whiteway Drive in the University area.

The backstory:

As Tampa District 7 Councilmember Luis Viera explained that construction of station 24 is several years behind. Funding was approved in 2022 for construction the following year in 2023.

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"Ultimately, there hasn't really been a good answer for that given, in my opinion, in terms of why it's been taken for so long again," said Viera, who represents the North Tampa area where the fire station would serve.

Station 24 was originally part of a plan to help out another station two miles away.

"Station 13 was the busiest city in Tampa, the 54th busiest station in the United States of America," said Viera. "So, we started off with station 25 in Sulfur Springs, which brought some relief. And this is supposed to finish the job."

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What they're saying:

The firefighters’ union recently told city council they need the new stations.

"In the last study that we did in 2022 through the GIS study, it called for three immediate stations, one in Channelside and, if I’m not mistaken, two in the North Tampa area, one because of the long response times in the K-Bar Ranch area, and one in the more central Sulphur Springs Forest Hill area," said Nick Stocco, the president of the Tampa Firefighters union during a city council meeting on June 26. "There was an additional 17 that were called for in 2022, understanding that we have more of a density issue here in the urban core than a geographical issue."

The city hired a new project manager for station 24 who updated council on the pre-design phase.

As for the engine and rescue 24 firefighters waiting for their new home, Tampa Fire Rescue said they're still operating out of station 13 and have been since 2021.

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Tampa Fire Rescue sent the following statement to FOX 13: 

"Although there have been construction delays, we are in constant communication with city agencies to stay updated on when the station will be completed. These delays have not affected our operations. We are still able to respond to emergencies quickly, ensuring there are no gaps in service. It's very important to have Station 24 in this growing part of the city. As Tampa expands, this Station will help us meet the increased demand for emergency services and improve response times, keeping our community safe and secure."

What's next:

The project manager said they are working to compress the construction schedule and get the ball rolling. City council will receive its next update on station 24 on July 31.