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Jail's addition 'not the Hilton'

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By LISA A. DAVIS

ldavis@tampatrib.com

Published: November 14, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - It took 19 months of construction, $17.5 million in county funds and years on the sheriff's wish list, but the Land O' Lakes Jail expansion is now complete.

It's a no-frills addition, except for the fancy electronics that, in part, allow detention deputies to close doors by the touch of a computer screen. Pasco County Sheriff Bob White and his staff say they kept costs down by doing only what was required to comply with jail standards.

"It's not the Hilton," said Maj. Brian Head. "It's not designed to be that."

The three-story addition, called C-Pod, was built more like army barracks than a traditional jail. The housing style cut construction costs by nearly half, Head said, and is much different from the main jail.

"What is unique about this building is there is no bar stock," Head told a crowd of dignitaries, colleagues and media representatives after a ribbon-cutting Friday morning.

That means there are no cells in the 96,000-square-foot, 768-bed facility, allowing many more inmates to be held than in a traditional jail with the same footprint.

"In the toolbox of public safety, you're about to see the tool house," White said before cutting yellow crime scene tape. "Our population is such now that (it has) required building another 700-plus beds so we can keep our citizens safe."

The open-bay concept is designed to contain inmates to a "sub-pod" where they sleep, eat, shower, meet with attorneys and have recreation time.

Inmates won't have far to go when loved ones visit. Video screens are set up in each of the 12 sub-pods and visitors will remain in a new video visitation area near the jail's main entrance.

"We took shortcuts on amenities," Head said. "We didn't take shortcuts on security."

Each sub-pod can hold up to 64 inmates, with four rows of bunks near the middle of the room. On one side are cafeteria-style tables, where inmates will eat and, at times, watch television. On the other side is a recreation yard.

Windows about eight to 12 feet from the ground allow in fresh air and sunlight. The area is sparse, with small rooms for inmates to meet privately with attorneys and another behind the detention deputy stations for medical care.

The gray-blue and concrete floors couldn't exactly be called warm and inviting.

There are no doors on any of the eight toilet stalls and no curtains around any of the eight shower heads. No toilet paper hangs against the walls because each inmate has a roll to tote back and forth to the latrine.

"It's not about being comfortable," Head said. "It's about being here."

In August, female inmates were moved to the first floor and since then it has been smooth sailing, he said. A temporary tent-like structure that previously housed the women has been torn down.

Only minimum-security, nonviolent offenders will be housed on the second floor. The third floor has been completed, Head said, but will remain vacant indefinitely because the sheriff's office doesn't have funds to staff it.

With the opening of C-Pod, White has decided to close the New Port Richey Jail. Because of security reasons, sheriff's officials won't say when inmates will be transferred to Land O' Lakes but it likely will be by Monday.

The closure of the New Port Richey facility, which costs $4 million to run annually, will mean deputies are also moving. Of the 51 deputies who work there, 44 will work in operations/inmate housing, four will remain in food services and three will stay in administrative support jobs at the Central Boulevard campus.

Head said he is excited about the project and how the facility will be run.

"Pasco County got a good deal for the money we spent," he said.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083.

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