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Fort Myers Council hears 50% design for new police headquarters; staff cites $143M total project estimate
Summary
City staff and architects presented 50% construction drawings for a new police headquarters, describing a U‑shaped, hardened facility with community space and giving a 50% cost estimate of about $142.98M and a timeline that targets construction in summer 2026 and final completion in February 2028.
Fort Myers City Council received a 50% design update for a planned police headquarters and a revised project estimate during the council workshop.
“We have recently submitted to the city our 50 construction documents,” said Jeff Mudgett of Parker Mudgett Smith Architects, summarizing the milestone and showing renderings of a U‑shaped building with a public, community meeting room at the front. Architect Rick Mullis and the team described materials (tilt‑up concrete, coquina accents, brick veneer and metal panels), acoustical design for interview rooms and a firing range, and glazing intended to reduce bird collisions.
Karen Hoff of Wharton Smith presented the 50% cost exercise and line‑itemed construction and soft costs, saying the building‑structure estimate is about $112,747,764, FF&E is $3,900,000, design services $7,200,000 and other soft costs about $5,600,000 — “making the total project cost 142,982,477,” she said. The presentation included a procurement timetable: bid documents complete 2026‑03‑05, a targeted guaranteed maximum price approval by 2026‑06‑23, construction start around July 2026, substantial completion in January 2028 and final completion in February 2028.
Finance staff gave a preliminary estimate of borrowing costs. Chris Teney said a straight 30‑year level debt schedule on roughly $140 million at about 4.2% would produce annual debt service of about $8.3 million, while noting alternative repayment structures could be explored to reduce near‑term pressure.
Councilmembers asked about square footage and future expansion. Architects said the project adds roughly 172,000 square feet of conditioned space and is being designed to meet the department's projected needs through the mid‑2040s, with structural allowances for later additions. Staff said some existing police properties would likely be sold and that redevelopment of the old headquarters is expected.
The council did not take a formal vote on the project during the workshop. Staff said further value‑engineering, competitive bidding and continued work on funding and timing will follow as the design proceeds to 100% documents.
