Work on Altamonte Springs fire station slated to open in 2020 still underway

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Work on an Altamonte Springs fire station that was planned to open in December 2020 is still underway.

The $4 million fire station, right near the SunRail Station on Ronald Reagan Boulevard, has been 98% complete for months.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The Seminole County Board of County Commissioners terminated the contract with the contractor, APM Construction Corp. of New Smyrna Beach, citing COVID-19, supply and workforce delays.

“This particular station has been being built for quite a long time. It’s way past due. We understand the reason we have to do what we’re doing,” Commissioner Lee Constantine said.

READ: Judge strikes down DeSantis’ new plan for congressional map

Another issue is with the floor in the fire house. According to the fire department, they required a polished concrete floor in the contract, but during a meeting in December 2021, county employees noticed a thick black epoxy had been applied to the floor. According to sources in the county, the floor was slippery.

When the county began to investigate why the contractor deviated from the original specifications, they said they learned the original concrete pour contained too much water and could not maintain a hardness to accept the polishing process. The county said they were never notified of the change.

READ: Baby formula shortage: FDA approves plan to release some Abbott-produced formula

County officials say no more work has been done at fire station 11 by the contractor, and now that the contract has been terminated, they hope to finish the job with a new contractor.

“So, there has been zero impact to our response capabilities. As far as when the station will be done, I do not have that information,” said Seminole County Fire Department Fire Chief Matt McKinley.

READ: Wrong-way detection systems heading to I-4 express lanes

Channel 9 reached out to APM Construction for their response, but have not heard back.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2022 Cox Media Group