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Council hears plan for new police headquarters, staff recommends $175 million bond on March ballot
Summary
City staff presented space needs, site selection (Spanish River Boulevard), cost scenarios and a financing plan for a new police headquarters and recommended placing a $175 million general obligation bond on the March 10, 2026 ballot; council members asked operational and fiscal questions but expressed support for moving the question to voters.
City finance and public safety officials presented a multi‑year plan on Sept. 22 to build a new police headquarters at a city‑owned site on Spanish River Boulevard and recommended the council place a bond referendum on the March 10, 2026 ballot.
CFO and deputy city manager Jim Zervis said the existing downtown police headquarters (built in 1986) is undersized, spread across multiple locations and not built to current standards for secure, hurricane‑rated facilities. Staff presented a facility program designed to meet policing needs through 2045 and described the Spanish River site as operationally central with good access to major corridors.
Zervis gave three illustrative build scenarios: a 137,000‑sq‑ft facility for current needs (2025), a 153,000‑sq‑ft option for 2035 and a 163,000‑sq‑ft plan for 2045. Preliminary, conservative rough‑order‑of‑magnitude cost estimates (including contingencies and escalation)…
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