NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — After nearly four years of delays and complications, Pasco County Fire Rescue’s state-of-the-art Station 17 on Seven Springs Boulevard is preparing to open.
According to Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, the new fire station is expected to become operational in January.
When the groundbreaking took place in June of 2021, it was estimated to take nine months to complete. In the meantime, many firefighters were relocated to different stations and some have been sleeping in dorms while they wait for the new construction to finish.
Fire officials and county representatives said upon completion, it would be one of the largest and best fire stations in the area. The new construction is two stories, has four large bays, a sleeping quarters and is over 18,000 square feet.
The structure is also designed to have unique warm and cold zones which aim to reduce firefighter cancer rates.
When the station was about 75% complete, construction came to an abrupt stop. Weeds started to overtake the partially-done building and people were using the bays and open doors as camping spots. The ground became littered with trash, leaving residents who live nearby to wonder what happened.
“It was just sitting there. It was an eyesore…and we were just wondering what is going on?” said Shirley Beltz, who lives in a 55+ community just across the street.
Beltz and many of her neighbors in Veterans Villas missed having their first responders just yards away.
“I felt very comfortable with them being like right across the street,” Beltz said. “We have a lot of elderly people in here so minutes is valuable to us when we get sick.”
According to a spokesperson with Pasco County government, the original contractor defaulted on the project. Signs on the property back in November 2023 show the contractor was Orlando-based R L Burns.
Blackwater Construction then bid on the proposal to take over the work, but the process of picking the construction back up wasn’t quick.
In early 2024, neighbors were excited to see work beginning once again. Now headed in to 2025, the building appears to be almost completed.
Pasco County has not yet announced a formal opening date.