Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
At a special meeting of the Nassau County Board of Commissioners approval to construct a 10 million dollar Sheriff’s Administrative Office passed on a 4 – 0 vote. (Commissioner Steve Kelley was unable to attend the meeting.) The special meeting was called to place the project in the Nassau County budget’s capital improvement plan in order to receive $500,000 in state funding.
According to County Attorney David Hallman, in order to receive the anticipated state funding the “provisos” are that the building project be added to the county budget’s capital improvement plan, and construction of the building be completed within five years. The $500,000 funding is subject to passage by the state legislature and budget approval by Governor Rick Scott.
For years, plans for a new Sheriff’s facility were under discussion. A 2001 proposal placed the square footage for the building at 50,000 square feet. Currents plans have downsized the square footage to 30,000.
The building will be located near the Nassau County Judicial Offices. Funding sources for the project include extending for three years the date to refund impact fees, a one cent sales surtax $6,302,160, and $3,697,840 from the general fund.
April 30, 2013 1:25 p.m.
Dear County Commissioners;
Subject: Nassau County, Florida. New Construction, the Sherriff’s building.
Date: May, 7th, 2013.
For years past, the Nassau County Sheriff’s office has been in a deplorable state of repairs. This has resulted in a depressing atmosphere not only in the sheriff’s department, but in all of Nassau County. A large part of Nassau County’s visible representation, not only in the State of Florida, but also in all of the South-Eastern part of the United States, is the local law enforcement officer. The first time visitors from the Eastern United States enter Florida, they encounter members of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department. These law enforcement officers are housed, and operate, out of a headquarters that at best can be described as decrepit. It behooves us, the citizens of Nassau County, to encourage the country commissioners to finally build a Sherriff’s office that is worthy of that name.
I encourage the Nassau Country Commissioners, and the Sheriff, to engage in discussions with architects and building contractors experienced in designing first class law enforcement structures. A structure that guarantees secure and safe holding pens, and keep criminal records safe from destruction by fire and water. Preferably, the sheriff’s office, and that of the document custodian, should be on the second floor of the structure, along with the required document storage facility.
Let us be proud to have a sheriff’s department that can operate out of a first class facility.