County Jail expansion will add 96 beds
“Construction is underway on the expansion of the Highlands County Jail, which will add 96 beds to accommodate additional inmates. The Jail’s current capacity is 474 beds. This new 20,680-square-foot area will serve as the women’s pod. A portion of Palmetto Avenue was closed due to the expansion structure going over the roadway. In August 2024, Sheriff Paul Blackman said, “The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility has not had an expansion in over 20 years and, just like our county population continues to grow, so does the inmate population of the detention facility.” The expansion is being built and contracted by Ajax Building Company, which has an office in Oldsmar and is headquartered in Midway.
County Capital Projects Manager Tiffany Gunn said the total cost is about $17 million, but there are costs incurred in this phase that will allow the second phase to be built at a lower cost.Phase one is the one-story expansion. The second phase, at a date yet to be determined, will be the addition of a second story. The new building is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026. A February 2023 project summary from CRA Architects, Inc. stated that long range, this facility site would accommodate approximately 400 new beds while improving existing support spaces.
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