The City of St. Pete Beach will move forward with a scheduled demolition of Fire Station 22 on Monday, May 11, 2026. Located at 1950 Pass-A Grille Way, the station has been deemed inoperable due to extensive damage sustained from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, along with cumulative wear from previous storm events. Prior to the storms, the city began the process of designing a replacement facility due to the age of the current structure and the lack of modern safety features.
The City of St. Pete Beach estimates the cost of constructing a new, modern, and resilient fire station at approximately $9 million. Due to budget constraints, city officials and representatives are actively pursuing a combination of state and federal legislative appropriations, grants, and private funding sources to make the project a reality. To date, the city has successfully secured $5 million in state appropriations funding, thanks to the continued efforts of staff and staunch support from Florida Representative Linda Chaney and Senator Nick DiCeglie. The city will continue its efforts to close the funding gap.
For the past 18 months, St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue crews have been operating from a temporary facility that is serving as Fire Station 22. The temporary structure, comparable to a double-wide trailer, spans approximately 1,300 square feet.
Deputy Fire Chief Adam Poirrier stated: “Our crews have been working out of temporary accommodations since floodwaters from Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated Fire Station 22—originally constructed in the 1970s. While a temporary structure is never optimal, this updated unit offers acceptable conditions for our first responders as the city actively pursues funding and finalizes plans for a permanent, storm-resilient fire station that will serve the community for generations. We aim to minimize the time that our crews are housed in this facility due to several factors such as the apparatus and crews exposed to the elements and the need to evacuate during storm conditions. However, the need for a fire station in the southern portion of St. Pete Beach to serve our residents and visitors is critical to ensure a timely and effective emergency response. As a fire administration, our number one mission is to provide for the health and safety of all which starts with the men and women that serve our community every day. We are proud of our crews, and we look forward to providing them with a permanent fire station in which they will be proud to call home.”
Permits for the new Fire Station 22 facility are in the final stages of approval, and the city expects the construction manager to begin the bidding process shortly, which will result in a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the project.