The Town Council agreed Tuesday to pay a contractor nearly $15 million to rebuild the historic North Fire Station, virtually all of which has been demolished because of the poor condition of the original building.

But first, council members listened as town officials explained how the overall cost of the project recently reached an estimated $17 million – more than triple the original $5.5 million budget.

Public Works Director Paul Brazil said the interior of the landmarked fire station at 300 North County Road was discovered to be in worse condition than first thought. Very little of the original century-old structure, one of the oldest fire stations in Florida, remains.

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