GROUNDBREAKING ANNOUNCED
FOR SPD HEADQUARTERS

Sarasota, FL: A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sarasota Police Headquarters will be held Friday October 10, 2008 at 11a.m. at the corner of East Avenue and Adams Lane, adjacent to the current Police station. Mayor Lou Ann Palmer, fellow commissioners and Police Chief Peter J. Abbott will be on hand to help usher in a new era for public safety within the Sarasota community.

The new Sarasota Police Department Headquarters will be approximately 100,000 square feet, large enough to house all SPD employees and crime scene evidence. SPD had to have employees work off-site due to lack of space and evidence is stored at costly off-site locations. The new building will be six stories with parking for 200 vehicles on the first three levels. It will also be hurricane hardened to withstand a category 5 storm and will serve as the City’s emergency operation center. A community meeting room also will be available for public use. The new Police Headquarters will be operational 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

In March 2006, Sarasota residents overwhelmingly approved a bond referendum for $50 million to pay for the new SPD Headquarters. The City Commission is expected next week to award Kraft Construction with a $33.6 million contract, which came in 2.8 million dollars under budget. The new Police Headquarters is scheduled to open spring 2010.

To view architectural renderings visit www.sarasotagov.com/police

 

For more information, please contact:
Jan Thornburg, Public Information Officer (941) 954-2613
jan.thornburg@sarasotagov.com