By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Coral Gables will open its fourth fire station completing a plan first envisioned nearly a century ago and expanding emergency coverage to the city’s southern neighborhoods.

A dedication ceremony on Friday, March 27 is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at Fire House 4, 1345 Sunset Drive. The facility will house Engine 4 and Rescue 4 and serve residents south of U.S. 1 and east of South Miami. The public is invited to attend the ceremony and an open house reception that follows.

A plan a century in the making

When George Merrick laid out his vision for Coral Gables in the 1920s, his master plan called for four fire stations to serve the growing city. Three were built. The fourth remained unrealized for decades.

Until now, the Coral Gables Fire Department has operated with three stations — a configuration city officials and fire leadership have long identified as leaving gaps in response coverage, particularly in the southern portion of the city. The opening of Fire House 4 closes that gap and brings the department in line with the city’s original design.

The project reflects years of planning, debate, and site selection challenges. An earlier proposal to build the station at Cartagena Circle failed to secure approval. The city ultimately acquired land from Riviera Presbyterian Church to establish the current site along Sunset Drive. Construction began in 2018.

Ceremony and participants

Mayor Vince Lago, City Manager Peter Iglesias, and Fire Chief Marcos de la Rosa are scheduled to speak at Friday’s ceremony. The invocation will be delivered by the Rev. Kim Robles of Riviera Presbyterian Church, whose congregation sits adjacent to the station.

Former Vice Mayor Michael Mena will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Mena, who served on the commission from 2017 through 2023, supported efforts to expand fire service capacity in the city’s southern neighborhoods during his tenure.

Designed for modern response

Fire House 4 is a two-story, approximately 12,000-square-foot facility with two apparatus bays and living quarters for on-duty personnel, including eight dormitories. The station includes modern mechanical, safety, and communications systems designed to support continuous emergency operations.

The building was designed by Alleguez Architecture, Inc., a firm with experience in public safety facilities across South Florida. The project carries a construction cost of approximately $7.6 million and has been designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.

Extending beyond the station

The project also includes a small neighborhood park on the northern portion of the site along San Ignacio Avenue. The space will feature a play structure, seating, and a water fountain, adding a public amenity to an area that has seen limited civic investment in recent years.

A shift in coverage

For the Coral Gables Fire Department, the addition of Fire House 4 marks a structural change in how the city delivers emergency services. The new station reduces response times to the southern portion of the city and strengthens overall system coverage.

For a city built on a master plan that emphasized order, access, and design, the opening carries a broader significance. A gap that persisted for nearly 100 years has now been closed through completion.