Groundbreaking held Monday, 2/5/2018 for Station 62 - 400 days projected to completion.

Congrats and thank you to Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue - the groundbreaking was held Monday, February 5, 2018 for the construction of the permanent Station 62 located off Old Cutler Road and 142nd Street.  It was my honor to join Miami-Dade Fire Chief Dave Downey, his senior staff, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine-Cava, Pinecrest Mayor Joe Corradino, and many members of our local Village Councils.  We participated with Local 1403 President Omar Blanco and Station 62's crew. Engine 62 currently operates out of temporary quarters next door to the new site.

 

Good deeds, good things are going on all around us.  Thank you to those who are working hard to bring forward good deeds/good results. It is estimated that construction will take 400 days to completion.  The site does not look like much right now. The value to the life-safety of this area will be immeasurable.  The Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest Communities look forward to enhanced life-safety service in the area.  Your life, or the life of a friend or loved one, might just be saved by service brought closer by this new station.

For Palmetto Bay, this got started under my first term.  The Council worked at establishing levels of service, both municipal and enhancing County – and we worded with County Fire and Government leadership at that time.  We got our residents involved and appointed a Public Safety committee back on November 25, 2002, one of our first resolutions – 02-19. I’d like to thank those members who joined in our vision for a safer Palmetto Bay area.

The locations shifted – delaying this project. We worked with the Feds to put a fire station on the USDA land, federal land, but that would take an act of congress – but we nearly did – twice – it passed the house of Representatives – Sept. 2009 E-Currents : Diaz-Balart Passes Legislation to Provide Land for Fire Station

The U.S. House of Representatives had passed a bill sponsored by Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) that authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell two acres located on the east side of SW 67th Ave. between SW 136 St. and SW 144 St., to Miami-Dade County for the purpose of building a fire station. The entire original village council had been to Washington several times.  I want to thank our original sponsor Illeana Ros Lehtinen.  Special thanks to Palmetto Bay Building Official Edward Silva and Olga Cadaval, Assistant to the Manager, the original village council.

That Was then, but the location failed between 2010 and 2013.  New realities set in.  We thank those who focused upon life safety.

A divided former council approved the site plan for this location on a 3-2 vote back in October 2014.  I want to thank Vice Mayor DuBois and council members Fiore and Schaffer for their support of enhanced life safety for this area.

Station 62 - at least the temporary station - become operation as of "1900" on Wednesday, November 16, 2016.  This temporary station is located adjacent to the permanent home off 142 / Old Cutler Road.  I am pleased to have stopped by to witness this local Palmetto Bay history - a project that commenced back with our original village council and members of our Public Safety Committee as one of Palmetto Bay's original priorities.  

Again - Thank you Miami-Dade County, MDFR, Mayor Carlos Gimenez and our commissioner Daniella Levine Cava.