Two portable buildings now sit outside the North Port Police Department, and they’re not a temporary construction office. They’re workspace, because the 2007 headquarters has run out of room. The department has grown from roughly 100 employees when the building opened to more than 200 sworn and civilian staff today.
The building itself is struggling too. The records department is closed due to a severe mold problem, with most employees moved off-site. Electrical issues forced dispatch to temporarily relocate to Wellen Park, and the air conditioning has failed. Some staff have been working in closets, old meeting rooms and a former jail cell. Public Information Officer Brittany Kammerer said the department has completely outgrown the building, adding, “This is not a want. This is a need.”
The timing is tricky. Last year, North Port voters rejected a special election referendum to borrow up to $115 million for a new police headquarters. So the city is left weighing temporary fixes against a long-term solution that voters already turned down once. With North Port continuing to grow, the question of how to fund a permanent facility isn’t going away. What would it take for you to support a new police headquarters?
