Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek has turned a routine budget line into a high-stakes question: should the city spend more than $12 million to expand its aging police headquarters, or start down the road of consolidating police services with Seminole County?
The dilemma landed in a Facebook post this week, where Sladek asked residents, “Should Oviedo build a police station expansion for $12+ million or move in the direction of consolidating services with the county?” according to WESH. The station reports that Oviedo’s current police building on Alexandria Boulevard dates to 1990, and that voters approved borrowing $11.4 million in 2016. Sladek told reporters the city has already spent about $200,000 on design work for a planned annex.
The post quickly morphed into a public referendum in the comments section. Some residents urged Oviedo to invest in its own department and expand its police footprint, while others argued the city should save money and explore a deal with Seminole County, according to Spectrum News 13. Spectrum reports that the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office called it premature to comment, and that the Oviedo Police Department’s public information officer declined to speculate on what might happen…