Decade in the making: Fort Myers OKs new police headquarters

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Fort Myers City Council has approved a $109 million construction contract for a new police headquarters, clearing the way for work to begin this fall.

After years of discussions, delays and changing plans, an empty plot of land will soon be the home of the next Fort Myers Police headquarters. A unanimous vote sends a project more than a decade in the making into its next phase.

"Thankfully, they approved it, so we're good to go and start building our new police department," said Capt. Roger Valdivia of the Fort Myers Police Department.

For officers, this is more than a new address. The current headquarters has been outgrown, leaving divisions scattered across the city.

The new building will bring those operations together with a modern 911 communications center, evidence processing, training space, an indoor firing range and new technology.

"We're going to just be that much more efficient, effective," said Chief Jason Fields of the Fort Myers Police Department. "Partnerships are going to just increase our response, our internal communication technology. I mean, you name it, we'll be able to better serve the community."

While the construction contract is $109 million, when you factor in other costs, the total project is expected to reach about $147 million. Mayor Kevin Anderson says that price reflects the current construction market.

"The cost of construction has just gone through the sky since COVID," Anderson said. "You know, we had the supply chain issues, which caused materials to rise. Everything's going up."

The president of the Fort Myers Police Union, Jari Sanders says "Modern facilities will only help reduce crime and allow us to serve the community more effectively. We look forward to city leadership keeping their promise to public safety by supporting the police department."

"Now we will move forward with the future head of all of our subcontractors and begin to mobilize to the site, and so you'll actually see some construction work starting early September," said Caryn Huff, director of operations for Southwest Florida at Wharton-Smith.

The construction group expects construction to take about 21 months, putting the new police headquarters on track to open in the summer of 2028.

To read the full contract between the city and construction group, click here.