Miami seeks to replace aged police headquarters

Miami officials are looking for a new location for the city’s aging police headquarters as structural issues at the current downtown facility continue to worsen and concerns grow.

During the July 10 city commission meeting, officials discussed the deteriorating state of the Miami Police Department headquarters and plans to eventually redevelop the site. Commissioners directed the city manager to return in October after the summer recess with a list of potential locations for a new building.

The conversation was prompted by an agenda item from Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who said a recent tour of the building at 400 NW Second Ave., built in 1975,left him concerned about its condition.

“I had the opportunity to tour it… it has infrastructure issues,” Mr. Rosado said. “We have issues with the parking garage, and there [are] structural issues that are very expensive to resolve and very concerning. More recently, I know we had a sinkhole in the parking lot.”

Mr. Rosado clarified that the building isn’t in immediate danger of collapse, but said the situation is deteriorating and the city lacks a defined plan for how to move forward. He suggested the city explore selling the land and begin identifying new sites as soon as possible, noting that the process could take time and might span about four years, including procurement, design, permitting and construction.

Commissioner Joe Carollo backed the proposal and said that while the city manager has previously explored combining police and fire administration into a single building, he remains concerned about co-locating two major departments. He added that Freedom Park had been floated as a potential site but cautioned against it due to the risk of severe traffic congestion during major events, emphasizing that the chosen location should be both centrally located and easily accessible to the public.

Police Chief Manny Morales confirmed the building’s decline and said the department has been working with city staff to evaluate space needs and potential relocation sites. “The city is at a premium when it comes to land space,” he said.

Chief Financial Officer Larry Spring said staff members have done significant analysis and that funding has already been allocated to demolish the current parking garage and replace it with surface parking. He estimated the city could bring in $40 million to $50 million from selling the existing police and fire administration buildings, which could help fund new facilities.

City Manager Art Noriega said staff have completed a programming analysis in partnership with the police and fire departments for three possible sites. He said he plans to present the pros and cons of each to commissioners individually before returning with a formal recommendation.

While the commission heads into its summer break at the end of this month, members directed Mr. Noriega to present a prioritized list of sites by the Oct. 9 meeting. In the meantime, staff is to hold one-on-one briefings with commissioners and both police and fire leaders are expected to weigh in on whether they prefer a shared or separate facility.

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