Sarasota County jail expansion needed as max capacity reached: 'We have to take action'

Sarasota County dealing with jail overcrowding

Kimberly Kuizon reports.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Space is running out at the Sarasota County Jail, with it already being the second-most overcrowded jail in Florida. The Sarasota County Sheriff has been calling for a solution for years, but it's now at a critical moment where it needs an expansion.

Local perspective:

A cell block in the East wing of the Sarasota County Jail shows a snapshot of the overcrowding inmates are experiencing.

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"It is a constant struggle, we are moving people around a lot. We have to go to such things as portable bunks. Plastic bunks we put in cells, so we can expand the capacity of the facility," said Captain Jeff Vajdik with the Corrections Operations Bureau for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

By the numbers:

The jail, which is owned by Sarasota County, houses those arrested from North Port to the City of Sarasota, and it has an operational capacity of 773 inmates. Their current population far exceeds that.

"As of today, we have 1,120. We’ve been as high as 1,190 in the last few months," said Vajdik.

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Big picture view:

It's stressful for corrections staff, and it's also costly for taxpayers.

"Really, if we don’t have an expansion of the jail facility, we will have to look to sending some of our inmates to other facilities in the state, neighboring counties," said Vajdik. "When you start doing that, it’s going to cost a lot of money. We will have to pay to have some of our inmates here in Sarasota County to go to other counties."

Last month, Major Brian Meinberg, the Courts and Corrections Division commander, told Sarasota County Commissioners that the cost could be "tens of millions of dollars." It comes as the commission weighs options for a jail expansion.

"This is reaching critical stage, and we need to move as quickly as we possibly can," said Sarasota County Commissioner Ron Cutsinger.

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Commissioners plan to explore two options for an expansion along East Avenue, which would bring a five-level facility with 720 beds that would be finished by 2033. By 2042, another 240 beds would be added to the fifth floor of the facility.

The cost for this expansion would be upwards of $700 million.

"The impact of a $700 million project is gasping, it’s one of the things that takes the wind out of your soul," said Sarasota County Commissioner Theresa Mast.

What's next:

Commissioners are weighing a referendum on the November 2026 ballot for voters to approve.

"My concern is, if the referendum fails, then where are we at?" said Sarasota County Commissioner Tom Knight.

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It’s a question that has been raised over the years, and one that will soon need to be answered.

"We’ve come to a point where we have to take action due to our failing facilities, older buildings. It will be hard for us to continue to maintain the Florida general standards to be an accredited jail," said Captain Debra Kiner with the Corrections Services Bureau of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with officials from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office as well as Sarasot County Commission meetings.

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