JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Jacksonville continues to explore options for building a new Duval County Jail, Sheriff T.K. Waters shared his thoughts on the process and potential locations.
With the city preparing to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a feasibility study in the coming weeks, the discussions are gaining momentum within city government.
The city has received at least two unsolicited proposals for the new jail, but Sheriff Waters has expressed a preference for a formal RFP process.
“I want no part of an unsolicited bid,” Waters said. “Although it’s legal, I just don’t like the message that it sends to the public. We want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to bid.”
Mayor Donna Deegan’s office is aligned with this approach, emphasizing transparency and competition. In an email to News4JAX, a city spokesperson wrote:
“Part of the RFP process is hiring an experienced firm to map out and manage a site selection process that accounts for the various needs of the facility that will eventually be constructed. We are a ways off from any potential sites being considered,” the spokesperson said.
In early May, News4JAX shared the initial unsolicited proposal, which had redacted any mention of a suggested location for a new facility.
News4JAX has since obtained a less redacted version, which suggested a location near the intersection of Lannie Road and Ethel Road, close to the Montgomery Correctional Center. The center is also referred to as the Prison Farm.
The sheriff is in favor of relocating it from its current location in downtown Jacksonville.
“We’re not necessarily interested in Montgomery, because it’s so far away,” Waters said. “If I have a police officer in Mandarin and he has to go out of service to take someone to the jail, that would put him out of service for about two hours. And that’s just too long.”
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Though it is years away from coming to fruition, Waters envisions a campus-style complex for the new jail.
“We have our Community Transition Center, we have the Prison Farm out of Montgomery, we have the Duval County Jail,” Waters said. “They’re all in different places. So, our corrections officers, they have to go in all these different places to work. I’d like to build one complex in a campus style complex, where they all go to the same spot. Be more efficient, be good for our partners at the beach.”
Waters also spoke about the new facility having a mental health resource center and a clinic with adequate beds for inmates to receive care.
“We want to make sure that we treat them like pre-trial detainees,” Waters said. “I know they’re accused of a crime, but they’re not convicted yet. We want to be able to take them, check them into a location that keeps them separate, and start the process of getting the treatment that’s needed.”
City Council President Randy White has appointed Councilmember Will Lahnen as the liaison for discussions among the city, the mayor’s office, and JSO.
In a memo dated May 28, White said Lahnen will serve as the primary point of contact between the city, the mayor’s office, and JSO when it comes to jail discussions.
Sheriff Waters expressed the need for community input as the process moves forward.
“No one wants a new jail, no one,” Waters said. “It’s going to take us talking to the community, whether it be public forums, whether it be in our town hall settings, it’s going to be us talking to the community, explaining to them what it’s going to be like when we narrow down some locations.”
The city has confirmed the receipt of a second unsolicited proposal, which was denied after the decision was made to move forward with the RFP.
As the city prepares to make the RFP public in the coming weeks, discussions about the new Duval County Jail continue to evolve, with a focus on transparency and community engagement.
