Palm Beach County breaks ground on new Sheriff’s Office marine unit facility
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Summary
County and PBSO officials on Monday marked the groundbreaking for a new 27,000-square-foot marine unit facility that will house District 1 operations, boat maintenance and training. County leaders said the building is expected to be complete in 2025 and will expand coastal patrol and interdiction capacity.
Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on Monday celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking for a new marine unit facility designed to centralize marine maintenance, dockage and operations for patrol and response teams.
Mayor Greg Weiss and county and PBSO officials said the one-story, 27,000-square-foot building on a 5.75-acre parcel is intended to serve PBSO’s District 1 and the marine unit’s shop and administrative operations. The facility will include a fitness and locker room, training and break rooms, evidence storage, a law enforcement aid space and an emergency generator to keep operations resilient during storms, county staff said.
County remarks listed site capacity numbers: 98 vehicle stalls and 22 boat-and-trailer parking stalls. PBSO officials said the marine unit of 16 sworn officers and seven certified mariners patrol Palm Beach County’s 48 miles of coastline, Lake Okeechobee and the county’s waterways to perform migrant, narcotics and search-and-rescue operations in coordination with federal partners including the U.S. Coast Guard and DEA.
Captain Joel Rossi, special operations commander, said the marine shop has had to retrofit secondhand space for years and that a purpose‑built boat shop and maintenance facility will improve serviceability and readiness. Capt. Patrick Johnson and other PBSO leaders thanked county planners and construction partners and called the project a major step in enhancing marine operations.
Construction leadership acknowledged the project team: Kaufman Lynn Construction, MCO Constructions, Song and Associates (architects), OCI Associates (structural), Ingenuity Group (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and others. County staff said the facility is expected to be completed in 2025 and emphasized the operational continuity benefits of the new site, including increased storage, secure evidence handling and mission-critical support for round‑the‑clock marine patrol activity.
The board did not take any formal action beyond recognizing the project and participants during the ceremony, and county staff said they will continue to provide updates on project milestones and commissioning.
