Oviedo advances $10M police HQ annex after delays, voter rejection of asks for more funds
But earlier this week city leaders took a major step toward expanding the long-cramped police station.
Council members Monday approved building a 10,000-square-foot annex next to police headquarters off Alexandria Boulevard for an estimated $9.7 million.
'It's nice to see something come to fruition,' said Chief Dale Coleman, who has long complained space is tight in the current 11,000-square-foot public safety building for the fast-growing Seminole County city.
Oviedo's Police Department has 82 employees, including 73 sworn officers — nearly double when the headquarters was built in 1990. As a result, officers and detectives often must share cubicles. There's also no storage space for evidence and or an area for K-9 police dog units.
In 2016, voters approved a referendum allowing the city to borrow up to $11.4 million for a new police building. But the project never advanced because city and police leaders couldn't agree on building size.
In November 2023, voters rejected by nearly 64% a second bond referendum asked to borrow an additional $35.5 million — on top of the previous $11.4 million — for the project. Then Nov. 5, voters rejected a third referendum by 58% asking to borrow up to $20.4 million for a nearly $32 million building.
That left the city with authority to borrow $11.4 million for the project but no direction — until now.
'My favorite question is: How fast do we get this moving forward,' Council member Natalie Teuchert said at Monday's meeting after joining Mayor Megan Sladek and council members Jeff Boddiford and Alan Ott in agreeing to the annex. Council member Keith Britton did not attend the meeting.
Council members will review additional plans for the proposed annex at a public meeting in March before hiring a contractor. City officials will then be able to estimate dates for starting and finishing construction.
City Manager Bryan Cobb said building the annex at the estimated cost would leave Oviedo with $1.7 million leftover, which could be used for security fencing and renovations to the existing police station. Even so, any amount borrowed would be paid back mostly with property tax revenues.
The new annex would include enough space for training rooms, offices and storage, officials said.
Council members turned down an alternative of completely renovating the existing building at a cost of $13 million. City staff said it would require borrowing or finding a source of funding for an additional $1.5 million.
'I'm in favor of the annex,' Coleman said to council members. 'I think it gives us a blank slate to design a building and design everything inside of it for the needs that we need. … It's more advantageous.'
Mayor Megan Sladek agreed: 'It makes the most sense."
mcomas@orlandosentinel.com
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