Liberty County Sheriff's Office and Jail complex nears completion
LIBERTY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – A facility that's built for the future: the Liberty County Sheriff's Office and Jail Complex is just months away from completion.
For years, the sheriff's office has worked out of makeshift offices, while running a jail built in 1942.
'It's the oldest operational jail in the state of Florida right now. So, the design of it, while it was functional back then, is not functional now,' Liberty County Sheriff Dusty Arnold said.
Sheriff Dusty Arnold and his deputies are set to move into the new facility, which will streamline operations all under one roof.
The $23,000,000 project is fully funded by state appropriations.
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With the 128-bed jail, Sheriff Arnold says the complex is built to accommodate any future growth Liberty County may experience.
For the first time, the jail features a control tower, an intake room, and a sallyport.
'The old jail that was built in 1942 does not have a sallyport, doesn't have a fence or anything. The deputy literally pulls up to the front door and lets the inmate out, and walks into the jail. This right here will have the sallyport, you pull in, the gate will shut behind if the inmate wants to do anything, try to run or anything like that, they're in a closed facility and they can't when they get out of the patrol car,' Arnold said.
On the other side of the building, the new sheriff's office features a fitness facility, a break room, a media room, beds for employees if they need to stay overnight in a natural disaster, and more.
'The training room is to invite other agencies to come up here and do different classes like radar and laser, interdiction courses, and different courses that our instructors can offer now. But we're thinking towards the future. Hopefully, one day we can partner with either Chipola College or Pat Thomas [Law Enforcement Academy at Tallahassee State College] and make this a facility where you can actually train law enforcement and corrections in the future,' Arnold added.
The jail and the dispatch center in the Sheriff's office are rated to withstand a Category 5 Hurricane. The remainder of the sheriff's office is rated to withstand a Category 3 hurricane.
Contractor Culpepper Construction is more than three months ahead of schedule.It's set to be complete on September 17th.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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