TREASURE ISLAND — City officials are pushing back against what they call “misinformation circulating about the design of the new Treasure Island Public Safety facility,” using email and social media to rebut claims that the $10.8 million building will flood, run over budget and sit on a randomly chosen site.
“We want to make sure residents have clear, accurate facts straight from the source,” the city said in its Sept. 23 message.
The response came eight days after the City Commission approved a design-build agreement with a guaranteed maximum price of $10.8 million for a new police and fire building on 108th Avenue, at the site of the former City Hall. The facility will house a three-bay fire station on the ground floor with police offices above. The state is covering $4 million of the cost.
Commissioner Arthur Czyszczon cast the lone vote against the project at the Sept. 15 meeting. He argued the city was designing a vulnerable building that would flood in a storm and predicted the cost would climb as items were added.
Commissioner Arden Dickey countered that the guaranteed maximum price protects the city against rising costs. He added that the building is designed to be resilient, allowing floodwaters to pass through the ground-floor bay doors during hurricanes without damaging equipment.
After the vote, some residents turned to Facebook with “what if” questions and worst-case scenarios.
The city’s message took direct aim at the claim that “it’s built on the water, so it’ll just flood,” calling it untrue.
“The facility is specifically engineered for our coastal environment,” the city wrote. “The ground-level garage bays are intentionally designed as breakaway flood-washout areas, consistent with modern coastal codes for flood-prone zones. During a storm surge, these areas are built to allow water to pass through safely rather than trapping it against the structure, which protects the building’s integrity.”
Officials also stressed that the building is not meant to shelter first responders through a major storm.
“The facility was never intended for first responders to ride out a major storm surge,” the message said. “If a significant surge is forecast, personnel and all apparatus will be relocated off the island, since surge levels cannot be predicted with absolute certainty. This is the same precaution the city asks all residents to take.”
As for why the building isn’t raised higher, the city said the fire trucks themselves set the limit.
“Fire engines and trucks require a specific ramp grade and enough garage clearance to enter and exit safely,” the city wrote. “Raising the building further would cause vehicles to bottom out when entering or exiting the bays, potentially damaging them.”
Fire Chief Trip Barrs made the same point at the commission meeting, saying the department doesn’t want its trucks scraping their bumpers every time they respond to a call.
The city also defended the price tag, noting that the new building will replace a public safety facility that has served the city for nearly seven decades. Officials said it is designed to exceed current coastal construction standards and Risk Category IV requirements, the building-code classification for essential facilities such as police and fire stations, with storm-surge protection and hurricane-resistant features throughout.
“This design has already been proven on our coastline,” officials wrote.
Biltmore Construction, the project’s design-build contractor, also built Clearwater Fire Station 46 and South Pasadena Fire Station 20. The city singled out the Clearwater station, which sits directly on Clearwater Beach, as “especially relevant for comparison” because it was built with many of the same resiliency features planned for Treasure Island. The project’s architect, Wannemacher Jensen Architects, designed both of those stations as well as Madeira Beach Fire Station 25.
The city also rejected claims on social media that it “just chose this random spot on 108th.”
“This location is neither new nor random,” the city wrote. “It’s been home to Treasure Island’s public safety building since 1957. The facility was initially proposed near the new City Hall site, but the city listened to feedback and moved back to 108th Avenue.”
Several years ago, the commission considered building the facility on 105th Avenue as part of a combined City Hall and public safety complex. That plan stalled after local activists and Czyszczon objected to the site, prompting the commission at the time to delay the project and reconsider its location.
Under the current plan, the public safety building will rise where the old City Hall stood on 108th Avenue, with a new Public Works facility next door, behind the gas station. The city said the arrangement will free up about 2 acres on 108th Avenue for future use.
“Treasure Island knows residents care deeply about how their tax dollars are spent and how prepared the city is for the next storm,” the message said. “That’s why the city selected a proven team with a track record of building resilient, storm-ready facilities in Florida’s coastal communities.”