MTC's new firing range delayed by increase in construction costs

The wait for a new firing range and driving pad in East County continues. 

Although Manatee Technical College and the Bradenton Police Department celebrated the groundbreaking on the MTC Florida Law Academy in May 2023, the project has been stalled due to the increase in construction costs. 

The state-of-the-art facility will be constructed on 70 acres off Taylor Road in Myakka City. 

Jay Romine, who is the director of the Law Enforcement Academy at MTC, has been waiting 15 years to see a facility with a firing range and driving pad constructed in Manatee County.

MTC received a $2 million grant from the state to put toward the firing and driving range. The School District of Manatee County will provide the rest of the funding.

The law academy, which originally was budgeted for nearly $4.8 million, is now budgeted at $7.01 million. The additional funds needed for the project will be taken from the School District of Manatee County’s capital funds. 

“There’s no question it’s a challenge when the construction costs of everything goes up and the supply chain is tight and labor costs are going up for the contractors,” said Doug Wagner, the director of MTC. “It’s just that the cost of doing business over the last five years has escalated.”

With the approval of the construction manager and the new budget, Wagner said the project can move forward. 

Wagner said MTC and the police department have worked with the construction manager, A.D. Morgan Construction, to amend the project to lower the cost. For example, the project no longer includes covered parking, an obstacle course and a shoot house. 

The facility will feature a 25-yard pistol range, 100-yard rifle range, a 300-by-600-foot driving pad and a building containing a classroom, offices, a gun room and more. 

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Wagner said any changes made to the project still will meet the needs of MTC’s Law Enforcement Academy and training needs for area law enforcement agencies.

The Law Enforcement Academy has approximately 30 students per class in its basic recruit academy, and the Bradenton Police Department has more than 120 officers.

Manatee Technical College and the Bradenton Police Department will work in conjunction to manage the facility. 

Wagner said law enforcement agencies in surrounding areas will pay a fee to utilize the facility, and those fees will be collected to go toward capital improvements for the site. 

“There’s not going to be anything like this around,” Wagner said of the facility. “Our law enforcement agencies and our students won’t have to drive to other counties to be trained. It’ll be right here in Manatee County. That speaks volumes to the support of this profession and our local community.”