Commission directs staff to design near‑term provisional jail expansion and prepare referendum planning

Sarasota County commissioners directed staff Feb. 10 to pursue a near‑term standalone correctional facility option on the county’s correctional campus to provide bed relief while the county proceeds with referendum planning for a larger jail solution. Capital Projects staff and the sheriff’s office presented a multi‑option study that modeled new jail construction at multiple sites, including a large, referendum‑scale new jail at the Criminal Justice Center (CJC), a rebuilt West Wing option and a standalone, lower‑cost provisional building on campus that could be funded under the county’s charter cap.

Sheriff’s Office captains explained operational constraints, intake and housing complexity, and the immediate burden of roughly 300 fewer beds than the daily population requires. The consultant study showed the referendum‑scale options would take longer and require substantially larger borrowing; the provisional standalone building — a smaller, two‑level facility using barrack‑style housing — could be designed to provide shorter‑term relief and be sited at the central energy plant area with a ~3‑year delivery schedule depending on funding and procurement.

Commissioners directed staff to develop a capital improvement project and return with design and cost estimates that extract the most bed capacity the county can get within the funding constraint. Commissioner Mast urged rapid work so the county can pursue a 2028 referendum for a larger solution while delivering immediate relief. The board authorized staff to proceed with preparing a CIP amendment and design program for the provisional building and to deliver a recommendation showing maximum capacity achievable within the proposed funding envelope.