TEMPLE TERRACE — Thank you.
That was the message from the Temple Terrace police and fire departments online the morning after residents gave the city the go-ahead to build new facilities for each.
Voters approved a general obligation bond up to $50 million during the Aug. 18 primary election, with 60.4% voting in favor and 39.6% opposed. The measure received 2,492 yes votes and 1,623 no votes.
The 4,126 votes cast represented 29% of the city’s roughly 14,000 registered voters.
The approved bond will be used to build a new standalone police headquarters and Fire Station No. 3 on a five-acre parcel at 7911 Harney Road that the city purchased for $1.6 million in 2024.
“For more than two decades, Temple Terrace has recognized the need for a third fire station,” wrote Temple Terrace Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2160 wrote on its Facebook page. “Tonight, our community took a huge step toward finally making it a reality, along with providing our police officers the standalone headquarters they have never had. To our residents: thank you for believing in the future of public safety in Temple Terrace. You listened, you showed up and you made your voices heard.”
The police department has operated out of roughly 11,000 square feet at City Hall since the early 1980s. During that time, the city’s population has grown from about 11,000 to more than 28,000, while the department has grown from 26 sworn officers and 11 civilian employees to 57 officers and 20 civilian employees.
Mayor Andy Ross called the vote an important win for the city.
“This is a very important success, and we’re very appreciative to the voters for that,” Ross said. “We would have faced a lot of challenges if that didn’t pass …it’s not just a comfort thing. We need it. We really need it.”
The proposed police headquarters would be approximately 33,000 square feet and include improved evidence storage and processing areas, secure fleet parking, training space and indoor firing range.
The third fire station is aimed at largely improving response times on the city’s eastern side, where approximately 21% of the department’s calls originate. The city says response times in the area the new station would serve currently average 8 minutes, 29 seconds, compared with its goal of 6 minutes, 40 seconds.
Ross said the additional station could have an impact well beyond that part of Temple Terrace.
“The third fire station will open up all kinds of possibilities for us that are really important,” he said.
Despite the Aug. 18 approval, the city does not plan to issue the bonds immediately. Ross has said the city will wait until after the November election, when Florida voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that could change how property taxes are handled.
The city estimates the entire project at roughly $46 million, with the bond capped at $50 million to account for inflation and other costs. The debt would be repaid through property taxes over as many years as 30 years.
City officials have estimated the initial cost at approximately $185 annually for a home with $200,000 in taxable value.