Latest news with #ReeseGoad
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Site of new TPD headquarters still bare, but city says to expect 'verticality' soon
The construction site of the new Tallahassee Police Department headquarters is still barren, but City Manager Reese Goad said the cleared land will start to see activity soon. A 216,000 square-foot facility is slowly underway, and Goad said the city is expecting to see "verticality" in August or September. 'I can't wait," Goad said. The project was launched in 2018 and slated to finish this year, but progress on the project has been pushed back roughly a year with "substantial completion" expected to be sometime in late 2026. But once it's complete, it'll be a great asset to TPD, Goad said. The new headquarters will be fully equipped with a firearm training facility, classroom space, fleet storage and more. Building the foundation takes some time, he said, and work has been done to landscape the property and address stormwater facilities. Goad said the cost of the project has remained the same since the last time the price tag was hiked. Last April, estimated costs for the new facility it rose by about $75 million, totaling around $135 million – more than double the projected price from 2020. At the time, Goad attributed the rising cost of the new HQ to inflation and an expensive post-COVID construction market, as previously reported. The expensive facility has ruffled feathers in the community and local leadership as several commissioners feel taxpayer dollars are better spent elsewhere. During a May 1 town hall with both city and county commissioners present, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow expressed his disapproval of the cost of TPD's new home. He said the city's investment priorities are out of sort by spending "nearly in excess of $160 million on a new police facility," instead of redirecting funds to help save the city's art district, Railroad Square, which was devastated by tornadoes last year. "I think that's exorbitant, and I think we need to scale that back and look at where we're investing in our neighborhoods, where we're investing in arts and where we're investing in culture that brings people to our community and keeps people in our community," he said. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New Tallahassee Police headquarters expecting progress this fall
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tallahassee utility customers stunned by high electric bills after rare Florida snowfall
The once-in-a-lifetime winter storm dazzled north Florida last month, but the awestruck wonder thawed almost as quickly as the snow did when Tallahassee residents received their monthly electric bill. Unaccustomed to the cold, many had their heaters working double time last month. Now, it's time to pay up. "During that week, we saw very, very different temperatures, abnormally cold temperatures," City Manager Reese Goad said during the city's latest budget hearing. "When we see that, usage goes up." Residents bantered back and forth on social media, mostly shocked about the steep increase. Many said their bills went up by $100 to $200. Some said theirs even doubled. "I about fell out of my chair when I got mine," one person said. "Mine is abnormally high every single month lol," another person said. Goad told the Tallahassee Democrat that the city saw around a 20% increase in usage last month due to the persistent, sub-freezing temperatures. Tallahassee utilities almost hit a "new all-time peak demand," he said, and would have done so had schools been in session. But even with the extreme weather, sales have remained fairly flat, Goad said. During the budget hearing, he told city commissioners that city staff is sensitive to the high bills and that they are working with customers if they need help. The city is creating payment plans with customers to soften the blow, and it works out, Goad said, because as winter turns into spring, usage starts to go back down, as will the bills. "Good news is, the weather's moderated, which goes back the other direction and overall consumption will start to balance," he said. But even with the warmer weather and some relief in sight, people are still in sticker shock. "My bill has never been this high ever," one person said. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee snow storm's bite lingers as customers get utility bills
