How we got here — and what happens Thursday
A public timeline is only as good as its accuracy. The dates below are drawn from the City’s own records and published reporting; anything still being confirmed is marked as such. If you can help us document a detail, tell us.
2022–2025 — The project takes shape
Fire Station 24 has been in development since 2022, planned as a four-bay, roughly 17,500-square-foot station on about 3 acres at 4902 E Whiteway Drive, next to Greco Park. Total project budget: about $23.8 million.
April 14, 2026 — The Variance Review Board approves 3% retention (5–1)
In Case VRB-26-45, the Board voted 5–1 to cut required tree retention on the lot from 50% to 3% — meaning up to 97% of the site’s protected trees can be removed. One member, Aaron Murphy, voted no. The published agenda had noticed the request at 6%; the motion passed at 3%.
Source: City of Tampa, April 14, 2026 VRB minutes.
April 16, 2026 — Two things happen the same week
A USF tree-canopy study is presented to City Council showing Tampa’s canopy fell from 31.4% to 29.9% in a single year — about 1,200 acres, its lowest level since 1973. The same date, Florida’s protected bat maternity season begins (April 16–August 14), during which it is illegal to disturb active roosts.
Sources: USF / WUSF canopy reporting; FWC bat rules (F.A.C. 68A).
Thursday, July 16, 2026, 9:00 AM — The City Council vote
The City Council is scheduled to approve a $17.4 million construction contract (with J. Kokolakis Contracting) — the last major approval before a planned September 2026 groundbreaking. This is the moment for public comment. The ask: defer approval until the City produces a stormwater review, a wildlife survey, and a documented site-and-cost comparison with the alternative parcel.
Old City Hall, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd. Register to speak at least 24 hours in advance. Source: Tampa City Council regular agenda; Tampa Bay Business & Wealth (July 2026).
Ongoing — the paper trail
Residents are pursuing every available avenue: public-records requests for the tree survey, wildlife survey, stormwater design, and Fire Rescue siting data; written objections; and legal review of the variance — including whether the 6%-noticed / 3%-approved gap was a defective public notice. (The formal 10-day appeal window on the April 14 decision has likely closed; a land-use attorney is being consulted on remaining options.)
If you have the agenda, the written order, the tree or wildlife survey, or the stormwater design, send it our way. The more of the record we can put in public view, the harder this is to push through quietly.