After years of planning and negotiating, Lakeland could be one step closer to securing a dedicated office for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). Mayor Josh Roman and the city’s Board of Commissioners discussed the issue at the most recent BOC meeting held at City Hall last week. That space would be located in The Lake District, in the end space located next door to Gloss Nail Bar. A SCSO sign would be visible to anyone passing by on Canada Road or pulling into the retail section of the development.
City Manager Michael Walker asked the board to execute a letter of intent submitted by RIC (The Lake District) LLC. The agreement outlines the potential subdivision of a 5,061-square-foot space into two bays—one roughly 3,000 square feet and the other about 2,000 square feet—within the mixed-use project. The SCSO has expressed interest in occupying about 3,000 square feet of the facility to house staff, including school-resource officers who cover Lakeland School System campuses. Mayor Roman said it would also be the command center for all SCSO school resource officers in Shelby County. The other 2,000 square feet would be occupied by Lakeland City staff, most likely the planning department and code enforcement officers for the city. The city has been looking at alternatives for space over the last 3 years due to expansion of staff as the city has grown. According to Mr. Walker the money to pay for the lease would come from existing funds already in the city budget for private security and would simply be reallocated for public safety.
The lease with The Lake District for the space would be the full responsibility of the City of Lakeland and not SCSO, a point that was debated between commissioners. Commissioner Connie McCarter questioned why the city should bear the costs of the office when Shelby County taxes already fund the SCSO, however, Mayor Roman clarified that the city would need to provide the space as part of the agreement. “In every conversation I’ve had with them (SCSO), they are fine with where they are now and if we would like to have them in Lakeland it would be incumbent on us to provide the space for them,” he said.
Commissioner Wesley Wright supported the effort emphasized the importance of the Sheriff’s Office having a presence near the growing commercial area. “We know there’s going to be more commercial growth around the exit, and we know we need their presence,” Wright said. Commissioner Jim Atkinson also expressed his support saying safety was one of the main priorities for Lakeland. He also said this would help fill the gap until the day a Lakeland police department is created, something that would be an enormous cost right now.
Ultimately, the Board voted 4-0 in favor of pursuing the agreement, with McCarter abstaining. The approval of the Letter of Intent (LOI) now gives city staff permission to negotiate a final lease agreement with The Lake District and SCSO at which point final approval from the board would be needed.
