Sarasota County eyes new legal records storage building

With little discussion, the Sarasota County Commission has unanimously approved a motion to instruct County Administrator Jonathan Lewis to enter into negotiations for construction of a new records management facility for the office of the Clerk of Circuit Court and County Comptroller.

That matter was raised during the fiscal year 2024 budget cycle by Clerk of Circuit Court and County Comptroller Karen Rushing, who said the current facility is too small and ill-equipped for storage of court records and legal documents, some the county keeps for as long as 75 years before being destroyed. 

Chairman Joe Neunder introduced the item during the March 11 commission meeting, placing into the record a proposal letter from the Swift Family Ltd. Partnership to build a new facility on its two adjacent parcels located at 2250 Aspinwall Street and 401 Mango Avenue. The lots are located one-half mile from the Clerk of Circuit Court and County Comptroller office. 

“The parcels are also sufficient in size to accommodate a flexible design and the construction of a rightsized facility to meet your immediate and long-term requirements,” the letter read.

Rushing’s office is responsible for storing and destroying a variety of court and legal documents. They include:

• Juvenile court records, 75 years.
• Code violation records, five years after case closed.
• Cemetery records, permanently.
• Tax rolls, permanently.
• Library user information, 30 days after expiration.
• Citizen complaints, one year after case closed.
• Wills, 20 years.
• Public auction records, five years.

The proposal is for a build-to-suit lease purchase arrangement with the county, but Swift remains open to any alternative transaction structures. The proposed conceptual design is for a 26,295-square-foot building to include adequate storage, an evidence vault, work space, offices and other features essential records storage and destruction operations.

Among the issues with the current facility, other than being undersized, is protection from weather. During anticipated heavy rain events, staff must cover shelves of boxes with heavy tarps. 

Swift’s proposal includes weather-hardened construction, a 2,200-square-foot evidence vault with high security specification, humidity control, 25,000-kilowatt backup generator and fire suppression systems.

This article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.