Construction Is Underway on Pine Island's Resilient Fire Station 2, Backed by a $5.6 Million Post-Ian Grant

Four years after Hurricane Ian tore across Pine Island, one of the storm's rebuilding projects is visibly underway. Construction has begun on the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District's new Station 2 at 5015 Stringfellow Road in St. James City, following a groundbreaking ceremony on October 14, the district says. The perimeter of the site has been cleared, and silt fencing goes in as the work moves forward.

The project is paid for largely with recovery money. The district says it was awarded a $5.6 million Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery grant through Lee County, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development following Hurricane Ian, after a long effort to secure the funding. The district describes the new building as a modern, resilient station built to better support firefighters and emergency response across the island communities.

For island residents, the practical point is that coverage does not pause for construction. The district says the Stringfellow Road site continues to operate as a working fire station providing the same services to the community, with crews working from temporary facilities while the new station is built. On a barrier island where help cannot always come quickly from across a bridge, that continuity is the point of the project. The district has not announced a completion date.