Downtown Jacksonville is about a year away from having a marine fireboat station capable of quicker response to shipboard blazes and riverfront conflagrations.
Station 39 will open in the fall of 2026 off Gator Bowl Boulevard. It will be the first phase of a bigger Downtown firefighter presence as plans continue to add fire trucks and rescue units to the two-story structure.
Fire and city officials grabbed shovels Friday for a ceremonial groundbreaking at 115 Festival Parkway, next to WJCT Studios and Metropolitan Park. Crews have been prepping the riverfront site for months, filling in the city-owned land in preparation for the $7.6 million marine station that will also have room for fire engines when that phase is approved…