West Villages Improvement District: $32 million South County Courthouse Plans Progressing

R L Anderson R.L. Anderson R. L. Anderson

The R. L. Anderson Administrative Center in South Venice is the focus of a renovation to South Sarasota County.
Thttps://www.yoursun.com/venice/

By Warren Richardson Sun Correspondent

Dec 13, 2019

SOUTH VENICE — It’s been a year since the Sarasota County commissioners last heard about or acted upon the South County courthouse project.

But during that year, county staff and the design team have been busy, as commissioners learned Tuesday. They received an update on the project, which will kick into high gear in 2020.

The plans call for the construction of a new, six-courtroom facility at the R.L. Anderson Administration Complex, where a parking lot exists on the south side.

That parking lot will be moved to the north side of the complex replacing the pond at the front of the site.

Although six courtrooms are planned, only four will be built out, with the other two rooms used for other purposes until future expansion is needed. Court Administration, the clerk of the circuit court and the sheriff will also have space in the new building.

Upon completion of the courthouse, renovations will begin in the R.L. Anderson building with Planning and Development Services and the Health Department moving to the second floor, where courtrooms currently exist.

The tax collector, supervisor of elections, property appraiser and veterans’ services will all remain on the first floor. Commission chambers will be unaffected by the move.

New offices for the state attorney and public defender will be installed in the annex building behind commission chambers where Planning and Development Services is currently located.

A groundbreaking for the estimated $32 million project is tentatively planned for April 2020.

Brad Gaubatz, the county’s manager of capital projects, told commissioners Tuesday because of the complexity of the project, including the planned moves for existing offices, county staff and the design team have planned for careful sequencing of events to maintain the timeline for the construction project.

For 12 years the county has sought ways to improve the delivery of judicial services in South County, recognizing both the growth in the area and that the courtroom facilities on the second floor do not meet modern operational standards.

After many fits and starts and working with current occupants at the complex along with the South County Bar Association and the Audubon Society, county staff developed a plan that met with everyone’s satisfaction.

“We’re very happy that we’re planning for the next 20 or 30 years,” Steve Boone, a member of the South County Bar Association, told commissioners in 2018 when they approved the initial plans. “The need for full court services is not going away. They will continue to be needed.”

“People are very, very excited to get it going,” Commissioner Charles Hines said Tuesday.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate