JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A little over a week after the city of Jacksonville confirmed that it received an unsolicited proposal in March from three groups offering to build a new jail in Duval County, News4JAX is getting a closer look at the plan after receiving a version that was redacted for legal reasons.
The proposal, which is about 100 pages long, includes renderings of the new jail and a statement that the jail should be designed in a way that “can handle future growth,” citing that the current jail holds about 2,600 people even though it was designed to hold just over 2,100.
It goes on to say that the jail would include the following:
A separate building for mental health evaluations and treatment
A fully functioning infirmary where women and men are in separate units
Separate housing for violent offenders
Separate buildings for women and juveniles, plus classrooms for juveniles
Housing units will also have outdoor recreation, dining, video, contact, and no-contact visitation
The plans for the jail, which were submitted by Sustainability Partners, Ajax, and HOK, were also accompanied by a statement from the office of Mayor Donna Deegan, which reads:
The decision has been made to move forward with an RFP (Request for Proposal) for a feasibility study, which will outline the process for site selection and determine the type of facilities that will be constructed on the selected site. The Mayor’s Office, JSO, and City of Jacksonville Procurement Division will be working to develop the RFP, and we expect it to hit the street in approximately one month.
Spokesperson for Mayor Donna Deegan
HOK’s involvement is notable because it is the architecture and engineering firm behind the design for the Jaguars’ new stadium.
Councilman Ron Salem, who has been advocating for the new jail project for years, expressed his support for a competitive process.
“I just know personally that unless it’s a competitive process, I’m not interested in it,” he said. He emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that the current jail is in poor condition.
“We infused, the council did, $10 million a year and a half, two years ago, to buy us some time. So, it is important that this process begin moving forward so we can get a jail started,” Salem added.
The estimated cost of the new jail project is around $1 billion. Under the current proposal, the city would pay $0 up front while Sustainability Partners assumes the capital risk by providing all necessary funding for the project.
In the past, Mayor Donna Deegan has said she supports a new jail and emphasized how badly it is needed.
“[The jail], frankly, has all sorts of structural issues; it is not healthy in a lot of ways inside that jail,” Deegan said. “We want to make sure we provide what the community needs, in addition to making sure that we have mental health resources on-site. I know the sheriff is just as focused on this as we are. So, we are working with him to make sure we get exactly the facility we want.”
The jail has come under more scrutiny following the death of inmate Charles Faggart in April. Residents like Sarah Sanders support the idea of a new jail but emphasize the importance of focusing on rehabilitation and support for inmates.
“I think it needs to be more about the people and not just the building itself,” Sanders stated.
Over the years, some city leaders have also discussed a desire to see the jail moved out of downtown by the riverfront. Fatina Hathcock supports that idea.
“We can do something else on the river and put something else beautiful on the river,” Hathcock said. “Since we’re building our downtown anyway.”
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