St. Pete Police Break Ground On New Headquarters

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — It won’t be long before the St. Petersburg Police Department has a new place to call home. The city officially broke ground on a new $70.2 million headquarters Thursday morning.

Residents worried they’ll have to travel to an unfamiliar location once the new building opens can breathe a sigh of relief. The agency is moving from its old building at 1300 First Ave. N. to a spot right across the street.

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Construction on the three-story, 168,000-square-foot building is expected to be complete in Spring 2019. The new building with feature two main wings and a four-level, 321-car parking garage. The 6.3-acre site will include the building, the garage and a central energy plant, according to the city.

Money to cover the $70.2 million headquarters is coming from the Penny for Pinellas sales tax, the city and Pinellas County. The estimated price doesn’t include the $6.2 million garage or the proposed photovoltaic system’s $2.5 million cost, the agency noted in an email to media. Funding for those two projects hasn’t been finalized just yet.

The new building designed by Harvard Jolly Architecture will be crafted to withstand 195 mph winds, the city said. Ajax Building Corporation is taking the lead on construction.

Once the new digs are ready, the city is likely to sell the current headquarters location for future development, department spokesman Rick Shaw said. The old building’s original east side was built back in 1951 with an addition constructed in 1978.

Shaw said the age of the building was just one of the reasons why a full replacement was deemed necessary.

“We have outgrown the space we have (a few specialized units are situated elsewhere) and many aspects of the current headquarters are out of date and need to be modernized,” Shaw said.

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Photos and video courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department