SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – It’s been years in the making and the doors have finally opened for the new Seminole County Fire Station 11 in Altamonte Springs.
“I am humbled beyond belief, I actually started in the early days of my career here right on Altamonte Springs and Station 11,” said Chief Matt Kinley with Seminole County Fire Department.
The new station is located at 2721 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd. next to the Altamonte Springs SunRail Station.
Fire Station 11 originally opened in 1974 as part of the Altamonte Springs Fire Department, which was located on County Road 427. The station relocated to the Altamonte Springs Municipal Complex in 1978.
In 2002, Fire Station 11 became a county fire station when the city merged with the Seminole County Fire Department.
“When I started here, we didn’t number fire station it was only the second paid fire department in the county so Sanford was the only other department,” said retired Fire Chief Gary Kaiser.
For retired fire lieutenant Garry Becker, the event was an opportunity to walk through memory lane.
“I’m the guy in the green shorts! I’m the one that looks good in the whole picture,” Becker explained.
The project was initially approved by the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners in 2019.
Construction began in 2020 and was completed in December of 2023.
The City of Altamonte Springs donated the land for the new station and contributed $2 million dollars towards construction costs.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: