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© St. Petersburg Times, published April 17, 2002
BROOKSVILLE -- Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent says his headquarters on Clinton Street is too small for his growing staff.
The Sheriff's Office has put up walls and partitions to split the existing building, he said, and even converted a suspect interview room into an office. Still, Nugent told county commissioners in a letter, crowding problems remain.
He asked commissioners for $40,000 to help pay for a 1,536 square foot, $72,000 portable building, and noted that the solution would be short term but much needed.
Commissioners approved the expense without opposition. They emphasized the need to speed funding for a new emergency operations center and communication center, which reside in the Sheriff's Office, to further ease the crunch.
"That building will not sustain a hurricane, and our communications need to be in a safe structure," Commissioner Betty Whitehouse said. "We need to certainly look at that as a priority."
Others agreed and said the issue should be considered during the planning for fiscal 2003.
"I would hate to see the Sheriff's Office like one of the school sites, with a bunch of portables all around," Commissioner Diane Rowden said.
Commissioner Chris Kingsley referred to the county's facilities plan, which includes the need for expansions at the Sheriff's Office in addition to a new courthouse, new libraries and added parking at the government center.
"This is a temporary fix," Kingsley said. "Their department is going to have to grow as our county grows."