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Did Seminole County open Fire Station 39 in late 2024, as promised?

The Roadmap Reckoner · Sanford, Seminole County, Florida (Fire Station 39, 5639 First Street at Orange Boulevard) · last checked 2026-10-13

Verdict	DELIVERED LATE (by about 13 months)
Promiser	Seminole County (Seminole County Fire Department)
Place	Sanford, Seminole County, Florida (Fire Station 39, 5639 First Street at Orange Boulevard)
Promised	2024-12-31 ("Slated to open in late 2024", the county's groundbreaking release, Sept. 19, 2023)
Delivered / status	2026-02-04: grand opening ("Seminole County has officially opened Fire Station 39", county story stamped Feb. 12, 2026); a January 2026 settlement covered the builder's "request for an extension of time and additional fees"; final construction contract $8,355,227.74
Last checked	2026-10-13

Verdict: DELIVERED LATE, by about 13 months. At the groundbreaking on September 19, 2023, Seminole County said its new fire station was "Slated to open in late 2024" [C1, C1b]. The county held the grand opening on "Wednesday, February 4", and its story about it, stamped "Feb 12, 2026, 10:16 PM", says "Seminole County has officially opened Fire Station 39" [C10, C10b, C10c]. From the end of 2024 to that opening is 13 months and 4 days [C1, C10b, C10c].

Last checked: October 13, 2026.

The promise. The Seminole County Fire Department's 21st station, at "5639 First Street in Sanford at the intersection of Orange Boulevard", to open in late 2024 [C1, C1d].
The record since. The construction contract gave the builder 420 calendar days to substantial completion [C4]. In January 2026 the Board approved a settlement that covers the builder's "request for an extension of time and additional fees" [C8b, C9, C9b].
The opening. The grand opening, on "Wednesday, February 4", in a county story stamped "Feb 12, 2026, 10:16 PM" [C10b, C10c].
The cost. The construction award was $8,383,000 [C2]. Under the settlement, the final construction contract is $8,355,227.74 [C8f].

The promise

The county's press release for the groundbreaking survives as reprinted by Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine, under "PRESS RELEASE" and credited "(Source: Seminole County Fire Department)" [C1b, C1e]. It said:

"Slated to open in late 2024, the Seminole County Fire Department's 21st station will help improve response times by a little over two minutes in large sections of the service area and more than a minute in most of its service areas." [C1]

The release placed the station at "5639 First Street in Sanford at the intersection of Orange Boulevard" [C1d], and called it "The $10.7 million station" [C1c].

Timeline

October 12, 2020. The county and the architect, Schenkel & Shultz, "entered into an agreement for Architectural and Engineering Services for the Design of Seminole County Fire Station #39", as the 2026 settlement recites [C8, C9].
April 2023. The Board's award passed: "Award CC-4638-22/TAD Construction of Seminole County Fire Station #39 to CIC Construction Group USA, LLC of Orlando, in the amount of $8,383,000.00" [C2, C2b]. The item's budget sheet shows $10,861,451 under the heading "FIRE STATION BUDGET AFTER BAR 23-035" [C3, C3b].
The contract's clock. The work was to be substantially complete "within four hundred twenty (420) calendar days after the date when the contract time begins to run" [C4]. Liquidated damages were $500 "per day for each day CONTRACTOR exceeds the contract time for substantial completion" [C5].
April 20, 2023. The date of the construction contract, as the settlement recites it: "a construction contract dated April 20, 2023, for the construction of Fire Station #39" [C8].
September 19, 2023. The groundbreaking, and the promise of an opening in late 2024 [C1, C1b].
May 2024. The Board approved an FPL easement "related to the proposed new Fire Station 39 building site." [C6]
February 2025. The Board approved a request "to transfer existing budget for the Fire Station 39 Access Road Project." [C7]
January 2026. The Board approved this item: "Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release between Seminole County, CIC Construction Group USA, LLC, and Schenkel & Shultz, Inc. for the Fire Station #39 project." [C9, C9b]
February 2026. The grand opening: "The grand opening on Wednesday, February 4, featured a traditional hose uncoupling ceremony marking the station's commissioning." [C10b] The county's story about it is stamped "Feb 12, 2026, 10:16 PM" [C10c].

What changed, and why, in the record's own words

The date. The release said late 2024 [C1]. The grand opening came on "Wednesday, February 4", more than a year after the end of 2024 [C10b, C10c]. The county's opening story does not mention the earlier date [the trace].
Why. No county record read gives a reason for the delay [the trace]. What the records show is a dispute over time and money, settled in January 2026 [C9, C9b]:
- The settlement covers the builder's "request for an extension of time and additional fees" [C8b], and among its items it lists "PCO #63R1 - Time Extension Request" [C8c].
- The builder "agrees to withdraw all claims and requests for an extension of time and additional fees" [C8d].
- The builder also agrees to "decrease its final payment under the Construction Contract" by $33,297.00, which gives "a final revised not-to-exceed Construction Contract amount" of $8,355,227.74 [C8e, C8f].
- The "Architect agrees to decrease its final payment for all services rendered" by $65,499.20 [C8g].
- Those amounts are the "full and final satisfaction of any and all claims" under the two firms' contracts "against Contractor and Architect relating to an extension of time, fees, changes in the work, delay damages (such as, liquidated damages, third-party Owner's representative fees, Architect fees, and utility costs)" [C8h].
- The settlement says "this Agreement is not an admission of liability by any Party" [C8i].

What it cost

The award. $8,383,000 for construction [C2, C2b].
The budget. $10,861,451, on the item's budget sheet after budget amendment BAR 23-035 [C3, C3b]. The release called it "The $10.7 million station" [C1c].
The final contract. $8,355,227.74 under the settlement [C8f]. That is $27,772.26 below the award, by subtraction [C2, C8f].

What is still open

The in-service day. The day the station went into service, before the ceremony, is in no county record read [the trace].

What this entry did not check

The contract's own deadline. The notice to proceed and any certificate of substantial completion were not found, so the day the 420 days began and the day the station went into service are unknown [the trace].
The change orders. The administrative change orders and the PCOs the settlement names were not found online [the trace].
News coverage. News reports were used only to locate records. A News 6 report in December 2025 said the station became operational that month, without giving a day [the trace].
The building. No site visit was made, and the opening was not attended.

Sources

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