ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There are questions surrounding the future of the Central Florida Fire Academy.
The 35-year-old academy is run in part by Orange County Public Schools.
Some students contacted WFTV when they were notified the school was closing.
The fire academy is made up of partnerships between several local fire departments but the property and the training facilities belong to the Orange County School District and could soon be off limits for more than 2,000 fire students who train every year.
"I always wanted to be a fireman, ever since I was little growing up in New York," said fire student Felix Cruz.
Students at the Central Florida Fire Academy said they enrolled to follow a dream and what they found was frustration.
The students faced being kicked off the property where they thought they would complete their training.
Mike Montalto moved his family from south Florida for the school and planned to use his savings for the $5,000 tuition.
"(I) did a lot of research for Jacksonville to Miami and was told this school was looked upon the best," said Montalto.
After WFTV started looking into the issue, current students were told they could stay until the end of their training next spring. But the school district is still cutting its ties to the academy. That means it will have to find a new place to operate.
"You look at other areas in the state. The school districts are not providing that kind of training. We're in a unique position because that building is there. We're not demolishing it. Obviously it's a useful resource," said the school district's attorney Woody Rodriguez.
He said the district may lease the property to the fire academy in the future but it will no longer offer the courses or certifications. He said it's a move to prioritize the district's resources.
But academy leaders said whatever the reason, they're now left to search for a new home.
"Let me be clear, nothing here suggests the fire academy is coming to an end. What is coming to an end is the current relationship," said Bart Wright, the fire academy board president.
The fire academy is looking at a partnership with Valencia College as a possibility to keep the academy going. But there is still no word on how soon that could happen if an agreement with Valencia is reached.