What to know about Sarasota County's $75 million plan to create a new administration center

Anne Snabes, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

February 28, 2023 at 4:00 AM·3 min read

Sarasota County is planning to build an approximately 124,000 square foot building east of Interstate 75 that will serve as its new administration center.

Sarasota County will, by the end of 2025, move into a new administration center, east of Interstate 75 and off of Fruitville Road.

The county has been planning for the last few years to move out of its downtown headquarters and into a new space. In 2021, the county sold its administration center, at 1660 Ringling Blvd., to Manatee County-based Benderson Development. The county is leasing the property back until the end of 2025.

It is designing a building for a new center near the intersection of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Apex Road.

Previous coverage:Sarasota County administrator shares his hopes for new administration center on Cattlemen Road

Other news:Attorney of Brian Laundrie's family files motion to dismiss complaint against him

Here’s all you need to know about the project:

Why is Sarasota County moving?

Carolyn Eastwood, Sarasota County’s director of capital projects, told county commissioners on Wednesday that the existing administration building is aging and needs significant investment in upkeep.

The current Sarasota County Administration Center, at 1660 Ringling Blvd. in Sarasota.

The building is also far from where many residents of unincorporated Sarasota County live, county administrator Jonathan Lewis said in a 2021 interview.

“So from a service perspective, we’re not close to the people who so frequently come to this building for services,” he said at the time.

Lewis also said that the sale of the downtown property for other uses would benefit the city of Sarasota.

Why did Sarasota County choose that location?

Sarasota County initially planned for a new administration center on land it owned at 1301 Cattlemen Road. But in early 2022, Benderson Development proposed a land swap, in which the county would exchange land it owned in the northern part of Nathan Benderson Park for a Benderson-owned property at 6700 Fruitville Road.

Deputy County Administrator Steven Botelho said last year that the exchange would allow the county to use 1301 Cattlemen Road for something other than an administrative center. The county also didn’t have any plans at the time for Nathan Benderson Park parcel.

The County Commission approved the land swap last year.

The building will house administrative offices, the County Commission chambers, commissioner offices and other spaces.

How much will the Sarasota County Administration Center project cost?

Sarasota County has appropriated $75.1 million for the building's design and construction, but that value could change. The county plans to issue up to $28 million in bonds to help pay for the project.

What will the new center look like?

An architecture-engineering firm has developed preliminary design renderings of the building, which Eastwood showed at Wednesday’s County Commission meeting. The approximately 124,000-square-foot concrete and steel building will include many windows, unlike the current center.

The first floor will be home to the commission chambers, a welcome center, a conference room and other spaces.

The new administration center will be constructed of steel and concrete.

Will all county departments be housed in the new building?

No. Some are already in other buildings, and some will be moving from the current administration center to their own buildings. Sarasota County’s Planning and Development Services department, for example, will be moving into a not-yet-constructed building near the Celery Fields, according to Eastwood.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: What to know about Sarasota County’s $75 million new headquarters plan

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