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Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to get a 42K square-foot facility to store its fleet

The sheriff's office says its current space is antiquated by about 20 years.
Credit: Provided

NOKOMIS, Fla. — For some car enthusiasts, this might be a dream: a 42,650 square foot facility to store cars with a dozen different bays to work on them.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office will soon have a new hardened place to store its entire fleet of more than 500 vehicles. Crews broke ground on a project to create this new support services facility in Nokomis.

With the ability to withstand winds of 160 mph, this will protect the office's $8 million worth of equipment during a hurricane, which is something that they haven’t had in the past.

“If we were to get hit right now, we would lose all that equipment,” Sheriff Tom Knight told 10News. “We’re going to be able to keep our equipment inside during natural disasters."

He says the location will make it easy to maneuver and respond in any direction.

“What we’re in right now is a hodgepodge of junk. … We keep vehicles in orange groves," he said. "We keep vehicles pretty much stored everywhere. The location right now is antiquated by about 20 years.”

The space in Osprey was originally a fire department, so it wasn’t meant to be used as it is now.

Knight believes the new secure facility will allow the department to look more professional and provide the services the community expects.

The project is expected to be completed next year.

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