Sheriff cites multiple factors in favor of tearing down oldest building in detention center and constructing jail on that site
After learning that a new jail option potentially could save Sarasota County taxpayers about $30 million in construction costs — along with approximately $170 million in operating expenses — the County Commission voted unanimously on Aug. 27 to direct staff to delve into that new option while the staff also awaits cost estimates for two options the board members approved for consideration earlier this year.
It likely will be December before they will have more reliable cost estimates to consider for all three scenarios, Brad Gaubatz, manager of the county’s Capital Projects Department, told them this week.
During the discussion, which was part of the Aug. 27 regular meeting in Sarasota, Gaubatz explained that “several collaborative workshops” had taken place since February, involving representatives of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Courts and Corrections Division, county staff and the jail design consultants the county had hired…