- January 21, 2026
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About 18 months ago, East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Lee Whitehurst was driving on Wauchula Road in Myakka City when he noticed something odd.
“I saw all the range deputies lined up with the windows down, talking in front of our fire station,” he said.
Whitehurst inquired with Manatee County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Rob Hendrickson as to why the deputies had their cars lined up. Hendrickson said they were having their morning meeting.
The sighting led Whitehurst to an idea that is essentially creating a public safety compound in the heart of Myakka City. East Manatee Fire Rescue is selling its old fire station to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire district built a $6 million, 10,500-square-foot station next door to the old station. While the official grand opening was held in November 2024, Hurricane Helene in September caused the crew to relocate earlier than planned.
The premature move also gave Hendrickson and his four deputies a homebase through the storm that was equipped with a generator, wifi, a kitchen, restrooms and beds, although none of the deputies got any sleep.
Since then, the arrangement has informally stayed in place. While the deputies don’t hang around the station because their job is to patrol, they’ve been storing equipment in the bay area.
Commissioners approved the sale Jan. 6 in a 5-1 vote with Commissioner Carol Felts in opposition and Commissioner Jason Bearden absent.
Felts wanted the $850,000 purchase price negotiated down since EMFR has been allowing the Sheriff's Office to use the space for free over the past year.
“Myakka City, or the unincorporated area of Myakka, already paid for this building with their tax dollars,” she said. “Now, we’re going to pay for it again.”
However, EMFR Chief Lee Whitehurst said selling the old station was always part of the district's plan.
EMFR has been debt free for over 20 years, so the plan is to get back to that state as quickly as possible.
Before building the new station, the district’s board decided that the property would be split in two and the old station would be sold to help pay down the loan sooner.
The station and land were originally appraised at over $1 million, so EMFR is selling to MCSO at a reduced rate, but it will still allow the district to pay off the loan at the end of three years.
“It’s a safe feeling for us,” Whitehurst said. “In a year and a half, we will be debt free again.”
As Felts suggested, EMFR could have sold the property to a developer to build a car wash or storage unit on the property, but Whitehurst said EMFR cares about the community, so they were willing to take less than the appraised value to keep the Sheriff’s Office next door.
For now, the Sheriff's Office is focused on solving a storage problem. Sheriff Rick Wells said equipment, such as the airboat and truck used for high water rescues, are scattered across the county.
They would be better located near the Myakka River where most high water rescues take place.
Even the ATVs that are used regularly in Myakka didn’t have a place to be stored. The deputies were taking them home. They would have to make room in their garages and find a place where they could be left charging.
When needed, the deputies would have to travel back home to retrieve the ATVs.
If a truck broke down or popped a tire, the deputy would have to travel an hour to Manatee County’s fleet facility in Palmetto. Now, they keep a spare truck and tires in the bay, too.
Not having to travel to retrieve a vehicle can cut response times by two hours in some cases.
Another major benefit to the community likely will be seen during the next hurricane. As it stands, the distribution center following a storm is set up at the Myakka City Community Center, which Hendrickson said backs up quickly with cars because of its limited space.
Now, the old fire station can be used as a distribution center. The supplies can be stocked in the bays, and residents can easily pull in and pull out to get what they need.
Pulling in and out of the bays during Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton was easier on the deputies, too.
EMFR moved out of that station because it wasn’t up to the latest hurricane standards. If a Category 3 hurricane or higher was looming, the crews would evacuate to the Myakka City Elementary School next door.
Hendrickson said the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have the same issues as the fire district. They don’t have people living in the station around the clock, and their vehicles aren’t taken off the road when wind speeds reach 50 mph.
“Their vehicles have so much wind surface, they will get blown over,” Hendrickson said. “At the Sheriff’s Office, we decide if we can make it or not.”
Hendrickson recalled a generator going down in the middle of Hurricane Ian. He jumped in his truck to go meet a farmer. They fixed a radiator hose and got the generator up and running, but the fire rescue can’t respond to calls like that in the height of a storm.
Hendrickson stressed that his deputies are rarely sitting still, so while things could change down the line, it’s not the type of substation where someone can walk in and get immediate assistance.
Someone is always next door at the fire station, so help is available and the two teams regularly work together.
“(The firefighters) answer a lot of calls,” Hendrickson said. “There are times where if we see them rolling, we’ll just follow. They’re a great group of guys, both fire and EMS.”
But the deputies have their own concerns. Two search warrants were issued over the past year, and the old fire station served as a meeting place. Multiple units were able to come together to make a game plan before heading out to the locations.
“Most of the residents I talked to are happy about (the Sheriff’s Office moving into the station),” Hendrickson said.
If anyone would know how the residents are feeling, it would be Hendrickson. As he walked a circle around the station, every car that passed slowed down to wave and Hendrickson knew every driver by name.
