Meeting to Discuss Relocating South Brandon Fire Station

Bloomingdale residents will have a chance to weigh in on a plan to build a new fire station serving south Brandon during a public meeting Thursday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bloomingdale West Recreation Center, 3940 Canoga Park Dr., Brandon.

Hillsborough County staff will present a proposal to relocate the existing South Brandon Fire Station #7 at 122 W. Bloomingdale Ave., between John Moore Road and Kings Avenue in Brandon, to a new site west of Bloomingdale High School between Springvale Drive and Hurley Road.

The 1.3-acre property is currently undeveloped.

According to county spokesman Steve Valdez, the current fire station is too small to accommodate all the equipment needed to serve the area.

"And they can't expand the station on the current property," said Valdez. "So the real estate department identified this new site in the same service area to aquire. The purpose of the public meeting is to get the public's input on the proposed site."

Valdez said the county hasn't come up with cost estimates for the project yet.

"They'll do that once they get approval for the acquisition and the design," he said. "They want to go to the public first and see what they have to say about it."

For information, call 813-272-5275.