ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Tucked behind the trees on Agricultural Center Drive is a large piece of land that will soon be transformed into a multipurpose training complex for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
The property is located next to the St. Johns County Emergency Operations Center, not far from State Road 16 and I-95.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said it couldn’t pass up the property because land is becoming less available and more expensive as the community continues to grow.
The new complex will include the emergency operations center, an aircraft hangar, a gun range, a retention pond for the dive team and a driving track.
Currently, deputies have to drive to Camp Blanding to practice the Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT, maneuver, which is used in vehicle pursuits to stop a suspect.
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SJSO spokesman Chuck Mulligan said the agency is also paying $12,000 a month to rent out the training facility from the school district.
“The amount of money that we’re spending is getting to the point where it just makes a lot more sense for us to acquire the land now while it’s available and while it’s as cost-effective as possible,” Mulligan said.
The agency also has to lease hangar space at the St. Augustine airport for $2,687 per month, which is about $32,244 annually.
The project is expected to cost $17.7 million, according to a spokesperson for St. Johns County.
SJSO said it will contribute $700,000 to help fund the facility.
The FBI is pitching in $2 million, so agents can use the facility when they need to.
The other $15 million will come from the St. Johns County Commissioner’s Office as an internal loan it'll be expected to pay back with police impact fees.
The county will borrow $5 million each from the General Fund, the Utility Services Fund and the Solid Waste Fund.
A county spokesperson says borrowing from the county’s own funds helps keep them from paying interest charges to an outside source.
The aircraft hangar, shooting ranges and driving track are expected to be completed by October 2020.
The emergency operations center and training complex are expected to be up and running by December 2020.
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