City of Winter Haven to Spend No More Than $355,930 for Redevelopment of Old Fire Station Number One
by James Coulter
Old Fire Station Number One in Winter Haven is expected to undergo redevelopment, with the design and permitting phase to cost no more than $355,930.
At their regular meeting on Mon. May 12, Winter Haven City Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the first reading of an ordinance about the design and permitting proposal and guaranteed maximum price for the redevelopment of Old Fire Station Number One.
“The purpose for redevelopment is to construct new City of Winter Haven Building Division administrative offices that will better serve the citizens given the City’s recent and projected growth,” wrote Cedric Cox, Economic Opportunity & Community Investment Assistant Director, in the city agenda memo.
Whitehead Construction was awarded the contract for the design and permitting phase of the fire station’s redevelopment. The design-build firm was one of four that had submitted proposals.
On Dec. 10, 2024, the City’s Selection Committee, as Cox wrote, “chose to forego presentations/interviews and selected the unanimously top-ranked firm”, which was Whitehead Construction. The City Commission approved this award on Jan. 27, 2025.
The Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of the contract had been negotiated for $355,930. Approximately $7,000,000 has been set aside within the City’s construction fund to facilitate such projects pertaining to the construction of Building Division facilities.
City Commissioners approved the first reading of the ordinance through a unanimous vote. The second reading will be hosted at a future commission meeting.
