When it’s completed in about a year, Fire Station 54 in Fort Lauderdale will be energy-efficient and able to withstand a category 5 hurricane, officials say.

And it should last for the 50 years, just like the old one did.

Speaking of years, it did take 12 for this one to arrive at Saturday’s groundbreaking stage. In 2004 a $40 million referendum was passed to fund Station 54, just off Oakland Park Boulevard near the Intracoastal waterway, and nine other aged and decaying stations. But only three stations were built because of snags in land-swap deals.

The $3.8 million station had to be significantly redesigned as new building code requirements took effect in 2014, after the drawings were done.

The groundbreaking went off with one minor snag — rain. But as a crowd of about 50 people huddled under a tent, Mayor Jack Seiler thanked city staff for their help in getting the project moving.

Seiler also said the station is critical to serving a growing population.

"The number one thing we do in government is public safety," Seiler said, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the two-story, 10,000 square foot building.

The Fort Lauderdale Fire Department is one of the busiest in the state — it responded to more than 53,000 calls last year.

The station is located in a strategic location, officials say, in the center of a community with one of the highest number of senior citizens, retirees and seasonal residents.

[email protected], 954-356-4188

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©2017 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

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