TAMPA, Fla. — It appears West Tampa's historic Lee Elementary will be rebuilt.
- School district negotiates payment to rebuild Lee Elementary
- School was gutted by fire after Hurricane Irma
- School board will discuss rebuild next week
Destroyed by a fire in the days after Hurricane Irma in September 2017, the school has been closed since as school officials have debated what to do.
Now, after a year of discussions with the district’s insurance companies, Hillsborough County Public Schools has now negotiated full payment for the rebuild of Lee Elementary Magnet School.
On Tuesday, a recommendation to rebuild the school will be brought before the school board.
The fire on September 12, 2017 engulfed the magnet school shortly after power was restored to the neighborhood after Irma swept through the Tampa Bay area.
The fire marshal concluded the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical surge. Hurricane force winds tore away part of the school’s roof and persistent rains created water damage inside the building, likely creating the spark that resulted when power was restored.
Water damage to the interior was extensive and irreversible after 850,000 gallons of water were used in fighting the fire. In the days and weeks after the fire, the district took steps to shore up the exterior brick walls, preserving the historic façade.
Students and staff from Lee Elementary have been sharing the campus of Lockhart Elementary ever since the fire.
Lee Elementary was built by volunteers in 1906 as the Michigan Avenue Grammar School and was renamed Lee in 1943. It became the district’s first magnet school in 1993.
Initial estimates to rebuilding the school were between $14 and $17 million.