The last time Sarasota County built an addition to its jail, the United States was gearing up for an impending invasion of Iraq.
That was 2002, under Sheriff William Balkwill, when the jail’s North Wing was constructed to the tune of $15.5 million to house an additional 288 inmates. That year, the county’s population neared 339,000 residents, and the jail’s operational capacity was about 780.
Since then, the county population has swelled by more than 40%, while its jail capacity hasn’t budged. As of October, the jail is overcrowded by roughly the same percentage, housing 300 more inmates than officials say it can safely hold…