Wrecking Ball Alert: Plan For New St. Petersburg Police HQ Advances

IMAGES: Rendering of planned St. Petersburg Police Headquarters on 1st Avenue; ceremonial demolition photos via St. Petersburg PD.

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The St. Petersburg City Council today approved the initial construction details for the new $70 million police headquarters to be built on 1st Avenue across the street from the current facilities, according to officials.

The three-story, 167,519-square-foot building will be on the site of the present police training building and a parking lot.

A "demolition ceremony" was held this morning with Mayor Rick Kriseman leading the way for construction crews to begin demolition of the training building. The actual demolition begins Aug. 1.

The completion date is set for December 2018, and the building will house the police department's 562 sworn and 230 civilian employees.

The city council also approved $6 million for a renovated firing range at 1845 13th Ave. North, and $5 million for an onsite secure parking garage.The site prep will take about a year, with construction beginning July 2017.

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