The Sarasota County jail is currently the most overcrowded jail in Florida. According to the Tampa Bay Times and Suncoast Searchlight, it is nearing 1,200 inmates, the threshold beyond which the sheriff would have to consider moving prisoners to other counties.
October figures show the jail is holding about 300 more people than authorities say it can safely house. That puts overcrowding at more than 40%. The county’s population has grown by the same amount, more than 40%, since the last expansion, while the jail’s capacity has not changed.
The last expansion was completed in 2002. At that time, the North Wing was built for $15.5 million to hold an additional 288 inmates. The county then had about 339,000 residents, and the jail’s operational capacity was about 780 beds.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office considers the 1,200-inmate threshold a critical point. According to the office’s spokeswoman, Dana Judge, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman would then have to seriously consider moving some inmates to jails in other counties. The Sarasota jail already exceeded that threshold in July, after which the inmate count fell again. Officials took it as a warning. Finding open beds elsewhere may be difficult because overcrowding affects the entire state. Authorities also warn that transfers could cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Meinberg, quoted by Suncoast Searchlight, expects the inmate count to reach about 1,200 for several weeks next year, at which point a decision will have to be made.
County commissioners approved a $30.2 million expansion this year that is meant to add between 150 and 250 beds. The project is not due to be completed until 2029. According to county projections, the jail would still be overcrowded by almost 20% at that point. A county report said the new section would bring only short-term relief until more comprehensive solutions can be put in place.
The county commission also dropped a referendum on building a new jail. The question was supposed to appear on the 2026 ballot and concerned taking out a loan of about $700 million, according to the county’s most recent estimates.
Moving inmates would also make the work of defense attorneys harder. A public defender noted that face-to-face meetings with clients are easier when the jail is 100 yards from his office. They are much harder when inmates are sent to counties such as Charlotte or Lee.
Source: Tampa Bay Times
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