The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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Construction and Dating of the Delaney Avenue Fire Station

Avon Park’s central firehouse stands at 98 South Delaney Avenue on Lots 13, 14, 15, and 16 of the Wilson Subdivision (Plat Book 1, Page 73A), designated under county parcel identification A-22-33-28-290-0000-0130.[hcpa-parcel-28332229000000130a] Published accounts have cited three different construction years—1976, 1978, and 1979—each representing a distinct phase in the financing, physical erection, and operational commissioning of the facility.

The Bicentennial Capital Plan (1976)

In 1976, coinciding with the national and local Bicentennial observances, the City of Avon Park authorized a major civic improvements program to replace its outgrown 1928 municipal fire and police station on East Main Street. Retrospective summaries prepared for the department’s 2023 centennial and contemporaneous reporting on facility renovations cite 1976 as the opening benchmark of the capital project and initial construction phase.[sebring-centennial-2023][newssun-fire-remodel-2025]

Structural Completion and Tax Inventory (1978)

The official records of the Highlands County Property Appraiser document that physical construction of the main firehouse was finished in 1978.[hcpa-parcel-28332229000000130a]

The primary station building (Building 1), comprising 10,998 square feet of effective municipal apparatus bays, offices, dormitories, and support areas, is officially listed with an Actual Year Built (AYB) of 1978.[hcpa-parcel-28332229000000130a] All associated site infrastructure completed under the original construction contract carries the identical 1978 appraisal entry:

This official tax record date matches the internal historical timeline displayed within the firehouse itself, which affirms that the station was built in 1978.[newssun-fire-tour-2024]

Operational Dedication and Occupancy (1979)

The department formally took full operational possession of the completed facility in 1979, following interior fitting, equipment installation, and the transfer of emergency rolling stock from the East Main Street building.[maxwell-1976]

In her local history The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida, Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell included a photograph of the modern multi-bay facility captioned: “New Fire Station Built in 1979.”[maxwell-1976] Maxwell’s text was brought to press in late 1979 following the death of longtime Mayor E. A. Delaney Sr. on 18 November 1979, capturing the station’s formal opening to service.[maxwell-1976] Upon the department’s move to Delaney Avenue, the 1928 station on East Main Street was turned over entirely to the Avon Park Police Department.[maxwell-1976]

Later Alterations and Hardening

In 2011, the city expanded the Delaney Avenue complex by adding a 520-square-foot rear secondary structure (Building 2) fitted with a commercial thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membrane roof.[hcpa-parcel-28332229000000130a] In early 2025, under Fire Chief Andrew Marcy, the department executed a comprehensive hurricane-hardening remodel, replacing thirteen exterior windows, installing impact-rated bay doors, modernizing moisture-resistant flooring, and constructing a dedicated emergency food and water supply staging room.[newssun-fire-remodel-2025]

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. Highlands County Property Appraiser, Highlands County Property Appraiser Parcel Record: A-22-33-28-290-0000-0130 (98 S Delaney Ave) (2026)
  2. Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida (references/the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md) (1976)
  3. sebring.com, Avon Park Fire Department Centennial Celebration (2023)
  4. Highlands News-Sun, Homeschooled children tour Avon Park Fire Department (2024)
  5. Highlands News-Sun, Avon Park remodels, reinforces fire station (2025)

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