The Temple Terrace City Council has unanimously approved placing a $50 million general obligation bond measure on the August primary ballot to fund construction of a new public safety complex.

The proposed facility would house the Temple Terrace Police Department and Fire Station 3 on a five-acre site at 7911 Harney Road. The city purchased the property in 2024 for $1.6 million using proceeds from the sale of Raulerson Ranch.

The police department has operated from the third floor of City Hall since the late 1970s, occupying an 11,000-square-foot space. Police Chief Rob Staley said the department has grown from approximately 20 officers and 11 civilian employees in the early 1980s to 57 sworn officers and 20 civilian staff today, while the city’s population has expanded from 11,000 to more than 28,000 residents.

“We’ve almost tripled our size for sworn officers over the last 40 years, and we’re still in the same footprint,” Staley said.

The department’s evidence room currently stores about 40,000 pieces of evidence, and space limitations have forced officers to convert meeting rooms for other uses. Staley noted that discussions about a new police station date back to at least 1986, when the estimated cost was $1.4 million.

If voters approve the bond on August 18, the average household would pay approximately $180 annually for 30 years through a separate line item on property taxes. Mayor Andy Ross said the amount could fluctuate and may decrease below that figure in some years.

Ross noted that rejecting the bond doesn’t guarantee residents will avoid cost increases, citing concerns about rising fire response times that could lead to insurance rate hikes if the department’s certification is downgraded.

Temple Terrace plans to hold town hall meetings and distribute information about the project before the election.

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