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Escambia Jail To Be Rebuilt At Current Location
November 13, 2015
The new Escambia County Jail will be built at or near the site of the current jail — not at any of three prospective sites that were under consideration.
Following the April 2014 flooding and explosion at the jail, the county developed a list of potential new jail locations, including locations in Cantonment and Molino. That list was cut to three sites, one of which was set to be chosen at a special meeting Thursday night.
Those sites were at Palafox Street and Airport Boulevard, an area near Brent Lane and Palafox and an area known as the Midtown Commerce site, a former Superfund site. The Airport Boulevard and Brent Lane sites were both near schools.
But after listening to speakers against the new locations, most calling for the jail to be rebuilt at its current location, the commission reversed course on the three sites. Numerous people spoke out against the three proposed sites, while several bail bondsmen said moving the jail would destroy their businesses.
After the public comments, Commissioner Luman May made a motion to rebuild the jail at its current location.
Commissioner Grover Robinson said the current jail site will not work for the larger complex envisioned for the new jail; instead it would required more vertical, multi-story construction. Plus, he said, flooding issues exist at the location. In the long run, he said it will cost Escambia County residents.
Robinson cast the lone dissenting vote against keeping the jail at its current location.
Pictured: The Central Booking and Detention Center was damaged beyond repair during a natural gas explosion following flooding on April 30. 2014. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
27 Responses to “Escambia Jail To Be Rebuilt At Current Location”
This is another stupid act of commissioners. Wonder how much pay- loa they got. Probably given a lot from. Bail bondsman., lawyers etc. I hope the people get rid of ALL commissioners. The other jail there is poorly managed and the Sherif’s Dept cannot run it properly so a new one will not be any better.
This actually makes sense.
Just be sure to put all essential systems and materials at a safe height.
You could have three levels on the bottom for parking on the bottom, for example.
They could have built a miniature levee around it and pumps to remove water.
It would have been simple to have done ten years ago or five years ago or three years ago.
David for reason
That is the kind of commissioners we have. Build back in the same place and years down the road you will have another dangerous situation. Of course these commissioners will be out of office (they need to be now) so they do not care about the future . If the bailbondsmen want to keep their business they can relocate. Why is it Pensacola thinks everything should be in Pensacola just like putting all the court house complex DOWNTOWN where there is no parking without paying a fortune and the North end has plenty of land in the woods that could be bought and utilized. You know why? The legal professions want the WATERFRONT and the Commissioners back all this DOWNTOWN legal offices and go along with them because no one can be elected from anywhere but below. 9-mile Road because they have the line below 9-mile road so all will be elected from the Pensacola area. Go ahead build the jail in the same place and in a few years we will murder more inmates. There is plenty of land in the North near Perdido River away from Everthing!
I’d love to know how much money these geniuses on the BCC have thrown away on site searches, engineering costs, model buildings and the like before they even settled on which parcel they are going to put it on. Now they will start over again and design yet another building. I have a news flash for the BCC; You don’t have a printing press like the Federal Government, You take every nickle you throw away right out of my pockets.
BUILD IT SOMEWHERE ELSE YOU IDIOT!!! 2 PEOPLE DIED AND A TON GOT INJURED AND PTSD BECAUSE OF THE CARELESS MISTAKES THAT YOU MADE!!!!! Safety always comes first, you shouldn’t try and find the cheap way out of it and have your workers in danger. You guys literally ruined people’s life’s because your STUPID careless mistakes!
That area is full of flood issues and FEMA will not let them build anything with federal dollars until all the drainage has been fixed which will take years! There really is a failure on the BOCC to understand anything but short term gain for themselves. This will cost the county taxpayers much more in the 20-40 years this jail will be there. I really don’t see it going forward because without FEMA money the whole deal is off. They voted on a site without even doing a detailed study on what it will cost. Underhill was doing the math on the back of an envelope! Great stewards of the taxpayers money!
Seems callous to me to discount the employees who were working the night of the explosion. Has anyone on the BOCC heard of PTSD? Rebuilding on the same site could cause them to have PTSD.
Makes sense tear the old one down and rebuild what you own
Odd that so many are for the other sites (most close to schools) and I don’t think I would want to work in a “Super Fund Site” day after day. Please look back on what caused the problem before.
So we really learned anything from the floods and explosion. Unless they are planning to build the facility higher off the ground to prevent flooding, Honestly its all about the amount money that the commissioners can keep in their pockets.
Bait and Switch! What is the cut for the BOCC’s? What a waste of time and money.
Frank,ly you did not watch the meeting. If no FEMA involvement with this location then it’s a no go.
Complete new campus behind castle gray skull was the idea, not where the building is now.
KEEP UP!
If you don’t believe anything they say then you should expect them to change their minds again in about a year.
They been planning this gor months to leave it where it was if u listen to them they only.thought about other location to try and apease everyone. Well tgey never intended to use any of those locations they have mention over and over putting it back. I dont agree at all with it to many people have bad memories of CBd but this has been there plans all alone
Building up is actually cheaper than out! But it should be moved along with the main Sheriffs office. Give the jail back to the sheriff’s office.
This decision was made by the same commissioners who ignored warnings and let the last one blow up?
WELL, forget the Millions in FEMA $ now? that is just STUPID???
Higher cost to maintain because you have to build up not out, there is something to be said when the Public doesn’t show and the Bails Bondsmen get to decide we lose Millions in Tax dollars?
Hallelujah!
Just don’t add a basement, those don’t go well (pun intended) in this area. Well, not unless you have a wellpoint system integrated into the basement. Not really practicable.
And why not the same spot? The area is already blighted with The Castle Greyskull nearby, so it is perfect. A good decision, IMO.
And it only took 4 million dollars and over 19 months to figure that out.
Luman May you are a complete idiot for your decision. I vote we put the commissioners offices on the ground floor of the jail, let’s see how safe they feel. Oh and Mr. Brown the building was called CBD!!!!
Mr. Robinson you seem to be the only one with any brains about the concerns in putting the jail back at or around its former location
SHAME ON YOU!!
Wasted a year and half of tax payers money, time and the safety of my fellow officers while you jerked an entire county around.
I am disgusted about the leadership in this county, we need to wipe the slate clean and get people in office who truly care about the people in this town and know how to run it!!
I feel sorry for the officers who have to now deal with BOCC ’s poor decisions.
My heart goes out to all the officers who are still under the commissioners and have to deal with the down fall.
The primary thought last night was to buy the area bordered by Fairfield ,Pace,L and St.Mary. I think they called it the McDonald property was an original consideration .
Build the new complex there. GOOD IDEA.
Even the exact site where it is had no problems if not for the basement.
Again, another outstanding job by the commissioners!!!! SMH…how did you ever get elected?
Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Get ready for another TAX increase !
Another bonehead decision by our county commissioners. After all this time and money spent we are right back where we started from. As for the bondsman business being hurt, I think not. Families will travel miles to your office to get their loved ones out. The current jail site only makes it easier and more convenient for you.
Mr Grover is right. To many issues with current location. Safety and Health of workers and inmates should be first consideration.
Well they had a chance to get it right and they failed. I am not surprised. Only one in the whole bunch exercised common sense.
Sounds like a logical location.
Skip the basement this time and the food problems will go away.