A new temporary headquarters opened Nov. 14 for the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Police Department (FLPD), which will be housed there until its $140 million permanent facility and parking garage is built and opened in two years.

The city announced in a news release that construction is under way on the new facility, which facilitated the need to temporarily move police headquarters to a building at 1515 W. Cypress Creek Rd. The interim location will ensure that FLPD can continue to deliver the high-quality services city residents expect without interruption.

The short-term FLPD headquarters will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the agency said in the statement, while adding, "This new location will continue to support the needs of our community and officers during the construction period."

Prior to the department's recent move, it had been working out of a building dating back to 1958.

Miami's WFOR-TV reported Nov. 13 that plans for the permanent Fort Lauderdale police building call for a three-story, 191,000-sq.-ft. building and parking garage at 1300 W. Broward Blvd., a location that is slated to include training rooms, public meeting areas and community space where residents and officers can work together on crime prevention and safety initiatives.

The new FLPD headquarters also will provide workspace and ultramodern technology to a department that has more than 700 sworn and non-sworn personnel, the city noted. The energy-efficient facility is designed in a way to be open and welcoming to the community served by the department, conveying a strong sense of civic presence and transparency.

With the increase in available space, FLPD will be able to relocate personnel and facilities to the new building, including an evidence warehouse and firearm training facilities. The old headquarters is slated for demolition and the land will be used for part of a community center and a new access road.

"We are excited for our new state-of-the-art headquarters as it will provide a professional working environment for our personnel and an ideal location for our ongoing community engagement activities," said Patrick Lynn, a former chief of police for the department.

Several Years of Planning Proceeded Construction

The effort to build the new FLPD facility began to take shape in March 2019 with the approval of a $100 million bond issue by Fort Lauderdale voters.

Last March, a construction agreement was signed, followed by the project's groundbreaking ceremony in June where work began on the police department's new parking garage, expected to be finished in August 2024.

The city noted on its website that the completion of the new FLPD headquarters building should wrap up either late next year or early 2025, although its sitework is not expected to be finished until the summer of 2025.

Until then, the city noted in its news release that the Fort Lauderdale community will continue "to have access to our temporary police headquarters and will be able to report incidents, file complaints, obtain records and speak with police department personnel."

In addition, FLPD said it "is committed to providing professional law enforcement services, ensuring public safety and fostering strong partnerships with our community. Our commitment to excellence extends to the construction of our new headquarters, which, once completed, will enable us to better serve and engage with our community."

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