County jail expenses continue to mount

The north wing of the Sarasota County Jail towers over the courthouse on Main Street. Its clean, utilitarian edges contrast with the ornate details of the historic courthouse, but inside, the jail reveals its rougher edges.

The building is a combination of three wings built between 1975 and 2002, all of which have their own challenges today. The north wing is the newest, but even in its spacious, well-lighted cell blocks, large, rust brown commercial fans sit in the common areas to compensate for an inconsistent cooling system.

In the east wing, cracks and chips color the windows, and what’s left of the paint on the floor is a dull bluish-gray.

Then there is the west wing. It’s the oldest and the most worn-down of the three. Built in 1975, it will be receiving the bulk of the county’s planned maintenance slated to take place between now and fiscal year 2021. Lighting, cell door controls, piping, air vents and windows will all be upgraded or replaced in the next five years.

The county has already invested nearly $2.6 million toward improvements since 2014. Jeff Lowdermilk, Sarasota County’s facilities manager, has identified what he believes are the most pressing issues to be addressed between now and 2021. The price for that maintenance totals just more than $5.4 million.

But many problems go beyond structural and maintenance issues.

The jail teeters on the edge of overpopulation.

There are 1021 beds available in the jail, but that doesn’t mean the facility can hold 1021 inmates.

Populations must be segregated based on a person’s age, the degree of the charges against them, their sex and several other categories. That decreases the jail’s operational capacity to 867 people.

Lowdermilk told county commissioners June 8 that the jail is expected to reach its operational capacity by 2020. During a June 14 tour of the facility, sheriff’s department staff estimated the jail was either at or over capacity.

Although no formal plans have been discussed, the facility’s limitations combined with its growing population suggests the county may have to answer a larger question in the near future: What happens when inmate populations outgrow the jail?

Growing pains

The conversation about the jail’s future dates back more than a decade. Beginning in 2004, the county discussed the potential need for a new jail — with an estimated cost of $84 million. 

“Jail expansion has been discussed for a number of years,” Lowdermilk said. “It has primarily centered around capacity and population rates.”

The recession compromised the county’s ability to pursue such a project.

Today, the Sheriff’s Office cites structural challenges that might not be fixable with just maintenance.

The plumbing pipes in the east wing cell blocks were constructed in such a way that, if a there were a malfunction, potentially 16 inmates would need to be relocated in a facility already short on space.

“I don’t know if they’ll ever find a remedy for that,” said Capt. Brian Meinberg, commander of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Offices’s operations bureau.

The only way to communicate with inmates inside cells in the west wing is through a hole in the wall covered on either side with a flat, metal cage. Small vertical windows limit deputies’ ability to see inside. The Sheriff’s Office says limited sight lines leave deputies and inmates alike at risk. 

Deputies say they are unable to anticipate a potential threat, and the cell block’s structure creates potential for self-harm, delaying the deputies’ ability to respond in case of an emergency.

“You’re not going to maintenance your way out of the problems we’re having,” said Maj. Jeff Bell, the courts and corrections division commander. “It’s not  just a maintenance issue.”

Future Fix?

According to John Breaud, who works in the county office of financial management, the county would need to hold a referendum to get voter approval to borrow the money necessary to construct a larger facility.

“It costs a lot of money to build these things, and we’re kind of constrained on the land as is,” Breaud said.

Though there are no plans for a new facility, commissioners and county officials alike agree jail maintenance is now a priority.

County Commissioner Christine Robinson said the issues with the jail are compounded because the county is now having to catch up on some maintenance that was deferred during the recession. With an election set for November, the facility’s challenges will likely demand long-term solutions from the next commission.

For now, the board is focused on preserving the existing building.

“That will certainly be a decision for the next commission to make,” Robinson said. “Regardless of when that decision is made ... we still need to maintain the facility that we have.”