JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A city committee has filed its final report on what needs to happen to move the county jail out of downtown and build a new, $1 billion campus-style facility somewhere in Duval County.
The committee worked for seven months, but there is still a long way to go before anything is built.
It starts with the formation of a blue-ribbon committee to request proposals for the design of a new jail.
The vision is to turn an old, overcrowded and deteriorating jail downtown into a facility to support people’s behavioral and mental health concerns.
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Special committee chair and councilman Michael Boylan told News4Jax he expects a campus-style facility.
“Number one, you can build it as you need it. Number two, you can isolate those with particular issues. And if one facility as compared to, one size does not fit all, and that’s really what we’re looking at with our current facility,” Boylan said.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the location is still up in the air.
“We got some people that’s going to help us get a spot,” Waters said. “I think what’s most important is to decide what we want to build first, and then locate a place that will work we’re fit. Imeson [Park on the Northside] would be a good spot. Cecil [Field area] would be a good spot although, you know, depends on when, we can build a campus-style building. But there’s a couple of different spots. You know, ultimately, I think, where the current P Farm where James I. Montgomery Correctional Center sits but it floods so that’s problematic.”
The committee hopes to streamline the pre-design planning phase of construction so it doesn’t have to rely on costly consultants.
As far as the Police Memorial Building, Boylan said the process of moving JSO administrative staff to the Florida Blue building is already underway.
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“What it does, it benefits us to focus the next group to take a look at the detention facility singularly and not worry about necessarily for the short term or even the long-term housing facility for the administration,” Boylan said.
The city council will likely hear plans for the jail next year.
They expect another two to three years after that before starting construction.
“The big thing for me was to get the conversation started and start working on the stock because it’s not, you know, let’s build one that happens overnight. I know it takes a while so I’m fine. As long as we’re making progress. As long we’re moving toward that goal,” Waters said.
The sheriff said a big part of moving towards the goal is getting the headquarters out of the way.
Boylan said the project will likely cost about $1 billion.