HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Tampa city leaders will discuss how to move forward with funding for Tampa Fire Rescue during Thursday's city council meeting.
This is a discussion that has been going on for months. As Tampa grows, so does the number of calls for service; now, the department needs more funding to keep up with the demand.
ABC Action News spoke to city councilman Luis Viera. He explained that they will vote on a bond that is over $100 million dollars to help Tampa Fire Rescue with some much needed improvements.
“This plan is going to include a number of things: a maintenance facility for Tampa Fire Rescue, as well as a new fire station that is needed for the North Tampa area, as well as refurbishing of some stations that are a little over 100 years old," Viera said.
He explained that this would be one of the largest investments into the fire rescue that the city has ever seen, adding that public safety is crucial and we need to invest these dollars now.
“We are dealing with a genuine challenge and crisis whenever it comes to Tampa Fire Rescue and our growth," Viera said. "Why do I call it a crisis? Because if it is just one family, if it is just one household that doesn't have a proper response time and someone suffers because of it, that’s a crisis to them and a crisis to all of us."
City Council starts Thursday at 9 a.m. You can watch it live here.
