Sarasota County commissioners passed on an opportunity to buy a parcel in downtown Sarasota that could have eventually been the site for a new Criminal Justice Center.
While several commissioners supported purchasing the property on East Avenue and Main Street, currently occupied by Harbour Church, Commissioners Tom Knight and Joe Neunder were hesitant about making a hasty purchase during the April 22 meeting.
The project is part of a larger push to fix a long-standing jail overcrowding problem . In order for officials to be able to expand the jail, they would need to tear down the current six-story Criminal Justice Center (CJC) on Ringling Boulevard across from the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Courthouse and build a new one in a different location…