Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri
Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
Pinellas County Interim Administrator Mark Woodard
Pinellas County Interim Chief of Staff Bruce Moeller
What:
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Pinellas County Interim Chief of Staff Bruce Moeller hosted a tour of the new Sheriff’s Administration Building and Public Safety Complex for the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners.
When:
The tour was held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 31, 2014.
Where:
The Sheriff’s Administration Building and Public Safety Complex, located at 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo.
Why/How:
The tour provided the officials an opportunity to get an up-close look at the facility which now consolidates county services under one roof, providing greater county government efficiencies for the citizens of Pinellas County. The tour began at the Sheriff’s Administration Building’s main entrance and included a look at multiple areas of the new facility such as joint classrooms, Patrol Read-Off Room, Vehicle Maintenance, various office spaces, the Emergency Operations Center and the Regional 9-1-1 Center.
The cost of the project is approximately $81.4 million, paid for by Penny for Pinellas funds. The new facility is 218,403 square feet, and offers a parking garage with 677 spaces. An exterior lot, which is not yet completed, will have an additional 566 spaces once the old SAB is demolished. The building is designed for an emergency capacity of approximately 700 people and is designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds (up to 203 mph). The building provides enhanced security.
The Sheriff’s Administration features have allowed for eight units, comprised of almost 100 employees previously spread throughout Pinellas County, to be consolidated and moved to the new SAB. The consolidation has created a cost savings by moving staff out of rented facilities. In addition, deputies now have onsite access to training equipment (i.e. mat room, armory, classrooms, multi-purpose read-off room and computer lab). The facility is able to house emergency equipment to prevent damage during the height of a major disaster.
Emergency Management relocated its offices to the PSC from the annex in the old Courthouse in downtown Clearwater.
The Emergency Operations Center has 118 desk positions. The EOC has adjacent break-out rooms with teleconferencing equipment for coordination with state and federal officials; a GIS/Planning Room; a designated Media Room with workstations; and a Radio Room.
The Pinellas County Consolidated Regional 9-1-1 Center will be the primary Public Safety Answering Point for all of Pinellas County. In 2013, telecommunicators answered nearly 561,882 calls. The telecommunicators will process 9-1-1 calls for Fire, EMS and the Sheriff. Pinellas Regional 9-1-1 Center transfers 9-1-1 calls to the following agencies: Clearwater Police, Largo Police, Pinellas Park Police, St Petersburg Police, and Tarpon Springs Police.
Click here SAB Fast Facts Sheet for a fact sheet with additional details.
Media was invited to cover the event. For additional information please contact Cecilia Barreda, Public Information Coordinator, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6292 or Tim Closterman, Director, Pinellas County Communications at (727) 642-2919.
L to R: Commissioner Chair Karen Williams Seel, Commissioner Kenneth T. Welch, Commissioner Janet C. Long, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualiteri, Commissioner John Morroni, Commissioner Charlie Justice, Commissioner Norm Roche. Not present: Commissioner Vice-Chair Susan Latvala