Say No
To Station 24
The City wants to clear nearly all the mature trees on Whiteway Drive to build a 24-hour fire station in the middle of a quiet residential street — and there's a better site around the corner.
Proposed site: 4902 E Whiteway Drive · Zoned Residential Single-Family (RS-60)
Nearly every tree. Gone.
On April 14, the City's Variance Review Board voted 5–1 to cut required tree retention on this lot from 50% down to 3% — meaning up to 97% of the lot's protected trees can be cleared. On a residential street. For a facility that runs lights and sirens 24 hours a day. This Thursday, the City Council votes on the construction contract — the last major approval before groundbreaking.
A residential street, rezoned in effect
The lot is zoned Residential Single-Family (RS-60). A 24-hour emergency facility is not a residential use. Neighbors who bought into a quiet street are being handed something entirely different.
The trees are the buffer
The mature canopy shields adjacent homes from the noise and lights of the softball fields behind the lot. Remove it, and there is nothing left between the homes and round-the-clock activity.
A discrepancy in the record
The public was noticed for a 6% retention request. The motion was approved at 3%. Residents prepared to speak to one set of facts and were handed another — a fairness problem worth questioning.
Wildlife timing
Florida's protected bat maternity season runs April 16 – August 14. It is illegal to disturb active roost sites during this window. Has a wildlife survey been done? The public deserves an answer before any tree falls.
The numbers neighbors should know
Every figure below is drawn from published research. We link our sources at the bottom of every page — because facts, not fear, win this argument.
since 1973
Zone X
Two lots. One obvious answer.
A vacant, county-owned parcel roughly 0.8 miles away — zoned for this kind of use, not residential — could host this station. Before the City spends taxpayer money clearing a canopy on a residential street, it should show the public a side-by-side site and cost comparison. We're asking for that in writing.
Residential. Wooded. Occupied surroundings.
- Zoned Residential Single-Family (RS-60)
- Requires clearing nearly all mature trees
- Directly across from occupied homes
- Removes the only noise & light buffer neighbors have
- Potential wildlife-season conflict
County-owned. Vacant. Zoned for it.
- Owned by Hillsborough County (folio 140139-0000)
- Vacant, per the county record — no residential canopy to clear
- Zoned CI — not residential
- Roughly 3.14 acres — right-sized for the station
- Was it ever evaluated? Show the public the comparison.
We are not engineers, and we don't claim to know the final costs of either site. That's exactly why we're demanding the City put its site-selection analysis and cost comparison on the public record.
Four things you can do today
Show up to the hearing
Nothing matters more than bodies in the room. Attend the hearing and, if you're willing, speak for up to 3 minutes. If you'd rather not speak, you can sign your time over to a neighbor spokesperson.
Add your name
Join the neighborhood list below so we can coordinate, share the meeting details, and show the Council how many households oppose this.
Demand the records
Ask the City in writing for the stormwater study, wildlife survey, and site-selection/cost comparison. If those don't exist, that's the story.
Tell your neighbors
Share this page. The more households that understand what's happening before the vote, the harder this is to push through quietly.
Stand with your street
Add your email to get the hearing details, talking points, and updates. We'll only email you about this effort — nothing else, ever.
Signup form is being connected. In the meantime, tap above to email us and we'll add you.