City outlines police headquarters timeline: cleared site, 170k'173k sq ft building; construction targeted May 2026

Police Chief Jason Fields and the project design team presented a progress update on the new Fort Myers Police Department headquarters, reporting the site has been cleared and that design work is underway. Jeff Mudgett of Parker Mudgett Smith Architects described the facility as a long-term, critical building with dedicated training, rolling-asset storage and a secured central utility plant. He said the team is treating it as a 50-year facility with resilience and security standards above typical commercial buildings.

Project leads said they have refined the spatial needs assessment and identified efficiencies that reduced the gross area to about "170,000 to 173,000 gross square foot building." Nicole Stetzer said procurement work is underway for a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) and that staff anticipates advertising the solicitation so a CMAR can be on board in the first quarter of next year for preconstruction services. The team said construction would not start until roughly May 2026, with substantial completion targeted for July 2027 and final occupancy processes leading to a department move-in date around Sept. 1, 2027.

Council discussion focused on parking, the size and divisibility of a public meeting space (the design team is testing a 200-person dividable room), removal of overhead power lines, and alignment with the city's CNI grant obligations. Staff said they will return with schedule and procurement steps as the CMAR solicitation moves forward.