Sarasota Sheriff reopens South County substation to deal with growth
The Sheriff’s Substation in south Sarasota County reopened to the public Thursday after closing nearly five years ago, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays for people to file reports with deputies, instead of using an online system or having a deputy visit them at home.
The Sheriff's Office announced the reopening of the facility at 4531 Annex Road in Venice via social media.
Sheriff Kurt Hoffman noted that since the facility was closed to the public in March 2019, his was the only constitutional office that did not have a presence in south Sarasota County.
The tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of court and supervisor of elections all have offices in the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center at 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice.
Why was the substation closed?
Former sheriff Tom Knight decided to close the facility, which shares a building with Sarasota County Fire Station 22, in more austere budget times, as part of an effort to get more deputies out on patrol without increasing his budget.
The main sheriff’s facility had moved in 2017 from its previous home on Ringling Boulevard in downtown Sarasota to its current home at 6010 Cattleridge Boulevard, which is off of Cattlemen Road, just north of the Bee Ridge Road exit off of Interstate 75.
The Sheriff's Office also had created an online portal through its web site, https://www.sarasotasheriff.org where individuals could file an online report and deputies could still make a home visit to take a statement.
Knight also noted that fewer people were visiting the substation to make in-person reports.
The net effect of the decision was the addition of two more deputies on active patrol for each shift.
The building remained open for training purposes and detectives used it as a base and for interviews.
In contrast, Hoffman's budget grew by more than 20% this fiscal year, the second year in a row of double-digit increases, aided in part by the county's skyrocketing property values. The budget rose to more than $184 million for 2023-24, from $153 million last year.
Why is it now being reopened?
Hoffman, in a November interview with the Herald-Tribune, pointed to both requests from south Sarasota County residents who wanted it reopened and a significant increase in south county growth, especially along State Road 681 north of Venice, Wellen Park in North Port, and pending development in Winchester Ranch.
He cited a 12-month analysis of call volume for the Sheriff’s Office from November 2022 through October 2023 that documented 13,189 service calls. Of those, 48% came from residents south of Clark Road and an accompanying memo suggested that 31% of those calls should have been handled out of a reopened South County substation.
Hoffman also was able to add 20 new deputies in the 2023-24 fiscal year budget to accommodate for growth, with two of those deputies now staffing the reopened substation.
The desk will be open weekdays, except for holidays.
A political football
As a constitutional officer, Hoffman did not need permission from the Sarasota County Commission to reopen the substation. Nonetheless Commissioner Neil Ranford, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the District 3 seat vacated when Nancy Detert died, raised the issue at a Nov. 28, 2023 board meeting.
Knight is Rainford’s main opponent in what would be an Aug. 20 primary race to be the Republican candidate for the District 3 seat.
Rainford said constituents wanted to be able to file a report in person, instead of using the current online reporting system available at https://bit.ly/47Y9sdP, travel to the main office for fingerprinting services, or call to have a sheriff’s deputy to come to their home.
Knight criticized the rationale behind reopening the building, using the word "antiquated," and questioned the justification for the cost.
Sheriff's substation controversy: Sarasota sheriff's substation becomes political, signaling rivalry for County Commission
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota sheriff reopens South County substation to deal with growth
