OVIEDO, Fla. – Oviedo’s mayor says the city’s long-discussed police station expansion is facing new uncertainty, as state leaders again float the idea of cutting property taxes — a major source of local government funding.
“It’s really frustrating. We kinda have a moving target,” Mayor Megan Sladek said Wednesday. “How do you make a plan to do what’s right and prudent for the city when we can’t be guaranteed a way to consistently fund what we need to do?”
Oviedo leaders have been working to expand and renovate the city’s small, aging police station, built in the 1990s. Sladek said the newest concern comes after the governor released another proposal that could reduce property taxes.
“Well just today this afternoon the Governor put out a plan to talk about again reducing property taxes,” Sladek said. “So that kinda begs the question: if we have a new building, will we have the means to fund the operational costs?”
A video posted by Oviedo city government shows a tour of the police station from last year. One area described as a training space was previously used as a bunker where personnel could sleep.
The current plan to fund the expansion and renovation is $18.2 million, and some residents say that’s a more reasonable figure than earlier versions of the proposal.
“If it’s gonna go toward them being able to do their job better then that’s fine,” said Oviedo resident Jada Anderson. Anderson added that when the project was first proposed at more than $40 million, the price tag felt too high.
Under the latest proposal, the city would build a two-story brick police annex connected to the existing department. Plans include:
- A multi-purpose room
- A K-9 space
- A physical training facility
- Project manager Johnnie Lohum said the project is now moving into the 60% construction document phase.
“The building breaks down percentage-wise: 78% of that need for the police department, about 10% for the EOC, and about 12% for IT needs,” Lohum said.
The current plan would also relocate the city’s IT department to the police station complex.
Police leadership argues that move makes sense for security and reliability.
“The police department is very heavily dependent on IT,” the police chief said. “So why is it in a building that’s more susceptible for a roof being torn off than put it in the most secure building the city has?”