$40 Million Police Building Approved

A St. Petersburg architect has been tapped by the St. Petersburg City Council to design a new public safety building, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Harvard Jolley Inc. will be paid $3.1 million to design a new police headquarters.

The unanimous vote by the Council Thursday is for the firm to design a $40 million police headquarters, which is a scaled-back version of the development that city leaders originally considered but rejected as too costly, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

What will taxpayers get for the lower price tag?

•  111,000-square-foot building on 1st Avenue North;
• renovation of existing buildings.

However, future phases of the police complex could add more to the cost, bringing it back up to $60 million. The approval Wednesday allows for the city to move ahead with this more modest version.

According to Tampa Bay Times:

"The city has about $32 million for the project that comes from revenue raised from Pinellas County's voter-approved penny sales tax. Staffers expect to use additional money from the tax to cover the cost of additional phases."