MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami Beach Fire Station Number 1 was built at 10th Street and Jefferson Avenue in South Beach in 1967.

There had been talks about moving it or building a better one for about a decade, but nothing concrete was done until Wednesday.

Miami Beach commissioners voted unanimously in favor of moving the fire station to the Southshore Community Center on Sixth Street and Meridian Avenue.

Adonis Garcia, the president of the Miami Beach Local 1510 Union, and Miami Beach Fire Chief Digna Abello told commissioners it was time.

“We do nothing but risk our lives every day, and all we ask are for conditions to sleep in,” Garcia told commissioners during the meeting. “We wouldn’t even have prisoners sleep in it.”

Garcia said the station had an issue with flooding. Most recently, sewage had backed up four inches.

“What is right is giving us a station at Sixth Street and making that decision today and not punting the ball again, we should be ashamed of ourselves that we are at this point,” Garcia said.

The city manager reported that 24 sites had been reviewed in the last 10 years, and the selection had been narrowed down to two.

“Recommendation, take away the park, Sixth Street, that is what is the viable option,” Abello said. “Outside of that, as far as responses, that is the prime location.”

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner supported the decision. The property had been under consideration since 2019, but there were concerns about services for seniors, a daycare, and a historic designation.

“This issue had gone to the historic preservation board and was ultimately deemed not to be historic,” Meiner said.

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