Input Sought For Proposed Fire Station Near Lake Magdalene

CARROLLWOOD, FL — Hillsborough County is extending the deadline for input from the public about the proposed location of a new fire station to serve residents in the Lake Magdalene area. The deadline to submit comments is Wednesday, May 12, at midnight.

Residents and commercial property owners can click here at any time until Wednesday at midnight to learn more about the location being considered, view site maps, participate in the virtual public engagement and offer comments on the proposed site.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue expects that response times in the Lake Magdalene area could shrink by several minutes when the new Fire Station #47 comes online. The county uses response times to help determine the areas of most need for additional service.

Construction has begun on new stations in Central Brandon and Rhodine Road in Riverview. Additionally, construction is starting on a replacement for the aging station currently serving Apollo Beach.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to 114,644 calls for emergency fire rescue services in 2020. Due to growth in the area, there's expected to be an additional 31,164 calls in the first quarter of this year.

Emergency call data and planning studies have listed the Lake Magdalene area as a top priority for a new fire station for 15 years.

Currently, the area is served by the Northdale Fire Station, 15905 Mapledale Blvd.; Fire Station #48 at River Oaks, 9755 Sheldon Road; Fire Station #40 Chapman, 16304 N. Nebraska Ave., Lutz; and Fire Station #13, 7502 Gunn Highway, Tampa.

The county looked at 17 sites in the Lake Magdalene area before deciding on a site located on Bearss Avenue between Lake Magdalene Boulevard and Lake Emerald Boulevard.

The site will allow for construction of a two-bay station with a driveway allowing rescue vehicles to drive through the station without impacting traffic on Bearss Avenue or requiring fire rescue vehicles to back up into the fire station bays.

Fire Rescue will use wireless traffic control technology to change the traffic signals at Lake Magdalene and Lake Emerald boulevards, then stop lanes of traffic in front of the station as first responders enter Bearss Avenue, minimizing the need for sirens and lights as warnings to motorists.

The new station will serve the communities of Avila, Nowatney, Forest Hills, Carrollwood Village and Northdale, improving response times by five minutes.

The new fire station will cost about $285,000. Acquisition of the property is expected December, using fire impact fee money. The design and construction of the new fire station are currently unfunded.

The county’s master plan calls for more than 26 new fire stations in the coming decade.

Public Meeting Information

In place of in-person public meetings, the county will conduct a virtual engagement to collect feedback from the public. Participants will have the opportunity to watch a project overview video, review project details and offer comments online via The Hillsborough County Engagement Hub.

Questions in English or Spanish about the virtual public engagement for the Lake Magdalene Fire Station may be directed to the Customer Service Center at 813-272-5900.