Florida Construction News staff writer
Construction has begun on Lakeland Fire Station 8, a new $7.4 million facility city officials say will improve emergency response times and support growth in northwest Lakeland.
The Lakeland City Commission unanimously approved a construction contract with The station will be the city’s first fire station north of Interstate 4 and is expected to help the Lakeland Fire Department meet its goal of responding to emergencies within four to six minutes.
According to city documents, Fire Station 8 will house an advanced life support fire engine, a quick-response advanced life support emergency medical vehicle and an incident supervisor.
The new station is expected to reduce the workload of Fire Stations 3 and 6 by taking over calls in a growing section of the city. Fire Station 3 handled 7,178 calls last year, accounting for 26% of the department’s total call volume of 27,314 responses.
“The higher call volume at Station 3 is primarily attributable to continued growth in Lakeland and the surrounding service area, including residential and commercial development that has increased demand for fire-rescue and emergency medical services,” Lakeland Fire Department Public Relations and Information Manager Stephanie Lewis said in an email.
Lewis said the final coverage area for Fire Station 8 is still being determined.
Deputy Fire Chief Jason Sherrouse said the station is needed to support future growth areas, including the Central Florida Innovation District, which includes Florida Polytechnic University. That area generated about 457 calls in 2025, while areas south of Lakeland Linder International Airport recorded about 370 calls last year.
Sherrouse said the benefits of the station will extend beyond its immediate service area.
“It will also improve the response time in other areas because some of those stations that are providing those coverages now won’t have to anymore,” Sherrouse said.
City officials expect Fire Station 8 to handle about 5,000 calls annually when it becomes operational in summer 2027.
Under the construction agreement, Rodda Construction has 395 days to reach substantial completion of the project.
