Sarasota commissioners add West Wing option to jail master plan study

The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 27 to expand its correctional campus master planning study to include a new option to build a jail tower within the existing West Wing footprint while retaining other study options.

County capital projects staff and SheriffKurt Hoffman presented the new scheme to the board during an update on the correctional campus master plan and asked for direction to add it to the two options already under review.

The board voted to instruct staff to continue studying the two previously scoped options at the Criminal Justice Center (CJC) site and to add the West Wing option to that analysis. Commissioner Josh Knight made the motion and Commissioner Mark Smith seconded it; the motion passed on a voice vote with all five commissioners recorded in favor.

Why it matters: County staff and the sheriffs office said the West Wing alternative could substantially reduce up-front capital costs and operating expenses compared with replacing the CJC and building a separate new jail tower. The sheriff told commissioners the West Wing option could save an estimated $170 million in combined construction and operational costs, while providing a solution that keeps inmates on campus rather than shipping them to outside facilities.

Key details: Brad Gobitz, capital projects, told the board the draft cost estimates were preliminary and would be refined by independent cost estimators. Staffs early, high-level order-of-magnitude numbers showed a construction cost for a West Wing tower option with a temporary adjacent structure at the former Central Energy Plant (CEP) site in the range of roughly $260 million for the tower and a total project estimate (including contingencies and 20-year capital maintenance) materially lower than the CJC-replacement option, though both options include large contingency allowances.

Sheriff Hoffman and courts and corrections commander Major Meinberg described operational advantages they expect from the West Wing plan, including using smaller housing modules (about 80 beds per floor in some layouts) that could reduce the number of staff necessary per shift and retain more inmates within Sarasota County during construction by housing some detainees in temporary facilities on or adjacent to the campus. The sheriff said keeping inmates on campus reduces the countys exposure to transportation costs, medical events and returns when outside sheriffs are used.

Staffs timetable and next steps: Gobitz said adding the West Wing option will require more detailed logistics and design work and will push the staffreport back (originally targeted for October) closer to December so that both options can be presented with refined cost estimates from two independent cost estimators.

What the board decided: The motion (as amended on the record) directs staff to continue the current study of the two CJC-site options and to add and develop the West Wing option, then return to the commission with more detailed test fits and independent cost estimates. Commissioners emphasized the need to accelerate the schedule and sharpen cost estimates because county jail capacity is strained and staff repeatedly testified the county is operating close to or over operational capacity.

Ending note: Commissioners stressed they need clear, vetted cost and schedule comparisons before deciding whether to take a referendum to voters or pursue alternative funding. Staff said it will return with more detailed cost estimates and operational assumptions for the full set of options.