Ground broken on St. Petersburg Fire Rescue station

After years of planning, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue representatives joined city leaders Wednesday to break ground on Fire Station No. 2. 

The approximately $8 million dollar facility, at 6560 26th Avenue N., will replace the existing Fire Station No. 2. 

It will have two bays, a fitness room, decontamination room, bunker gear storage, showers and cubes for every firefighter, Fire Rescue district chief Michael Lewis told the Catalyst. Additionally, the over 8,700-square-foot building will have a larger kitchen and dining room. 

The property will also have coverage for the station’s engine, which responds to medical and fire emergencies. Previously, the asset was subjected to the “elements.”

A need for an additional unit in west St. Petersburg was “identified” in the mid 2010s. Lewis explained that “there was not enough time to build a new station” to address the demand. Fire Rescue leaders opted to find a temporary location that could be utilized for “three to five years while the build process occurred.” 

The department has used a 1,500-square-foot building, at 3100 66th Street N., for nearly a decade. Constructed in the 1950s, the property could only provide so much. 

Fire Rescue has used a 1950s era building, at 3100 66th Street N., for nearly a decade. Photo provided.

“It was not designed to meet our needs,” he added. “We had to actually install a shower and run hot water throughout the building.”  

Additionally, the Fire Rescue team converted a porch into a working and rest area.

Lewis said that the “biggest challenge” was “finding a plot of land that we could use.” Fire Rescue leaders ultimately selected a site owned by the Pinellas County School Board. Acquired in 2024, the property was once part of the Tyrone Middle School campus. 

The new Fire Station No. 2, Lewis added, has been under design and development for about four years. City Council approved construction funding for the project in 2021. Former councilmember Robert Blackmon was a key proponent of the initiative and authored a resolution to seek funding from the City in 2020. 

“The project is definitely going to make our lives much better,” Fire Station No. 2 firefighter and paramedic Luis Faz Rivera said. “I think it’s a great upgrade. The station we have currently is nice and comfortable, but it has a lot of challenges.” 

Construction on the building should be completed in 2027. 

“Fire Station No. 2 is a critical hub for our emergency response, and this new facility is an investment in both operational readiness and the health and safety of our first responders,” Fire Rescue chief Keith Watts said at the Wednesday ceremony. “Designed for efficiency and longevity, this station will provide our teams with the modern tools they need to serve this neighborhood for decades to come.”