TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Rebuilding Of Jail Annex Progresses

ADVERTISEMENT

By LISA A. DAVIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Less than two weeks after a tornado shredded a temporary jail annex and damaged a second one, recovery workers have made great strides in rebuilding and repairs.

The wind debris has mostly been removed, except for some stray pieces of canvas wrapped in trees surrounding the complex off Land O' Lakes Boulevard. But the biggest improvement since the EF-1 tornado touched down at the jail's Central Boulevard entrance is the new minimum-security building, in the same place where a duplicate stood until the early morning hours of Dec. 16.

The site was prepared and new materials arrived just days after the twister forced jail officials to evacuate nearly 200 inmates from the temporary units. The aluminum and plastic-coated canvas shell was up Thursday, and workers, including inmates, were busy securing subflooring above moisture barriers and installing doors.

The 8,000-square-foot building is expected to be inmate-ready by the end of January, said Maj. Brian Head. Until then, insulation, air conditioning, carpeting and security enhancements, including video surveillance, will be installed. The domelike structure adjacent to the one destroyed still needs repairs to its bathroom facility, which was ripped by flying debris. Outside security fencing and other barriers will be erected before inmates can move in to the two annexes on the east side of the complex.

The new building will have a 118-bed capacity. Here, the inmates sleep, eat, shower and otherwise pass the time.

"This is less than ideal conditions obviously," Head said looking on as power drills buzzed and a compressor roared inside the shell, "but we have to do what we have to do to meet the demand."

Until the Pasco County Sheriff's Office has the green light from the county to move inmates back into the annexes about 200 have been moved to jails in Marion, Pinellas and Hernando counties.

A total of $5,000 a day is paid to house the inmates out of county, Head said, but the cost is really more with manpower for transporting the inmates to court dates back to Pasco. Most of the inmates moved, however, already have been sentenced to jail for their crimes and don't have to return to court.

The money will come from the county's budget, Head said, because the sheriff's office doesn't have the funds. The county actually owns the jail property and rents the new annex building while the sheriff operates the jail.

A $17.8 million jail expansion plan is expected to be signed off on next month and ground will be broken in February. Once that is completed, within 16 months the minimum-security inmates will be moved to the brick-and-mortar building and the temporary structures will be taken down.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083 or ldavis@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT