Dear Friends,

Western Palm City residents know the anxiety that comes with living far from critical emergency services. In neighborhoods like Stuart West, Cobblestone and Palm City Farms, a fire engine or ambulance can take up to 20 minutes to arrive. In a medical emergency or fast-moving fire, that’s an eternity. In full disclosure, my family has lived in Stuart West for 19 years so while this is an issue that affects many residents, it is also a personal one to me.

National safety standards recommend that fire suppression crews reach a scene in 4–6 minutes and paramedics in 8 minutes or less. The difference between today’s response times and those benchmarks can mean the difference between saving a home or losing it — and in the case of a heart attack, between life and death.

Beyond the human cost, there’s a financial one. Many residents here pay hundreds to over a thousand dollars more per year for homeowners insurance simply because their homes sit too far from a staffed fire station. Moving within the recommended 5-mile threshold could save households 10–25% annually on premiums — a lifetime savings of tens of thousands of dollars.

The Push for a Solution — and the Pushback

Recently, a proposal was brought forward to begin planning for a new fire station in western Palm City. It would close a dangerous gap in emergency coverage and bring these communities into line with national response-time standards.

In fact, one generous local landowner has even stepped up to donate 5–6 acres near I-95 and Martin Highway — a prime location identified by the county’s own fire station analysis. This gift would eliminate the cost of land acquisition, allowing Fire Rescue to direct its resources toward construction, equipping, and staffing the new facility instead of spending taxpayer money to buy land.

But instead of focusing on this unique opportunity to save both lives and money, one county commissioner openly dismissed the need, saying:

• “Those folks, they chose to live way out there.”
• “St. Lucie County is closer to Newfield for response time.” (meaning that St. Lucie should take care of Martin County residents.)
• “I understand insurance costs are higher living out there and response time isn’t there, but we’re talking about a lot of money.”

Let’s be clear: “a lot of money” is also what it costs to rebuild a home after a fire that could have been stopped, or to pay out-of-pocket for medical bills when lifesaving care doesn’t arrive in time. And no family should be penalized for choosing to live in a part of Martin County that’s growing — growth that has contributed to the county’s tax base and funded services elsewhere.

What This Fire Station Represents
This isn’t about special treatment. It’s about equal protection for all Martin County residents, regardless of where they live. It’s about:

• Lives saved because help arrives minutes sooner.
• Homes preserved because fires are contained quickly.
• Lower insurance costs for families already contributing their fair share in taxes.
• Smart fiscal planning by accepting donated land and focusing public funds on the facility itself.

Western Palm City has grown. The county’s own data shows the need. A prime site has been offered for free. Now it’s time for our leadership to step up and protect the people they serve — not dismiss them.

The bottom line: When it comes to public safety, “we’re talking about a lot of money” should never outweigh “we’re talking about people’s lives” — especially when the land is already being offered at no cost to taxpayers.

• Palm City Station 21 has the second highest call volume in the county with 21,000 fire rescue calls, and covers 64 square miles. In contrast, Port Salerno Station 30, which has the highest call volume (22,887), only covers 12 square miles.

• Martin County’s Comprehensive Growth Management Plan requires that Fire Rescue respond within 8 minutes 90% of the time inside our urban services boundary and 20 minutes outside the USB.  
• The County is currently out-of-compliance with its own Comp Plan. The coverage area of Palm City is so large for just one fire station, in addition to needing to cover I-95 and Fl Turnpike emergency services, that only 82% of calls are responded to within the required 8-minute response time
• A western Palm City Fire Station was identified as the number one priority by data analysis in the Martin County Fire State Location Analysis in December 2024 (Page 18 in attached study)
• Martin Commerce Park was identified as the “key” location to meet the demands of the residential growth, fire desert west of I-95 and a back up to Indiantown, and the Life Safety activities warranted along I-95 and Florida Turnpike
• Martin Commerce Park’s location was identified as meeting the location needs for compliance with Martin County’s Comprehensive Growth Management Plan for Life Safety within the 5-mile radius requirement

* Source: Martin County’s Fire Location Analysis Study 2024, Click Here to view the document

• The discussion begins around the time stamp of 3:36 
• At the 3:40 mark, Commissioner Ciampi defends long-time residents of western Palm City against the criticism of another commissioner, explaining that they deserve to have life-saving fire rescue services.