- December 23, 2024
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Sheriff Rick Staly and Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen cut the ribbon at the grand opening ceremony for the new operations building. Photo by Sierra Williams
Sheriff Rick Staly and Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen cut the ribbon at the grand opening ceremony for the new operations building. Photo by Sierra Williams
Sheriff Rick Staly and Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen cut the ribbon at the grand opening ceremony for the new operations building. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Outside is a memorial for fallen officers. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. This is a memorial for FCSO's K9 officers Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Sheriff Rick Staly gave a short speech thanking everyone involved. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Sheriff Rick Staly gave a short speech thanking everyone involved. Photo by Sierra Williams
FCSO's new operations building had it's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19. Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen gave a short speech thanking everyone involved. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building's lobby serves as a museum of the sheriff's office. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building's lobby serves as a museum of the sheriff's office. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building's lobby serves as a museum of the sheriff's office. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building's lobby serves as a museum of the sheriff's office. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building's lobby serves as a museum of the sheriff's office. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. This is their upgraded evidence storage. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. This is the crime scene lab. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The physical fitness center features a gym on one side and a defensive tactics training area on the other. Photo by Sierra Williams
The physical fitness center features a gym on one side and a defensive tactics training area on the other. Photo by Sierra Williams
The physical fitness center features a gym on one side and a defensive tactics training area on the other. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Each cubicle has a standing desk too for employees. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. This is the new Faraday room in the building. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years. This is the Real Time Crime Center. Photo by Sierra Williams
The Sheriff's office has a wall for photos for awards. Photo by Sierra Williams
The building was designed for storage, security and growth, allowing employees to do their jobs as efficiently as possible for years.Photo by Sierra Williams
Sheriff Staly said his office is intentionally the same size as his old one. It is filled with memorabilia. Photo by Sierra Williams
Sheriff Staly said his office is intentionally the same size as his old one. It is filled with memorabilia. Photo by Sierra Williams
Sheriff Staly said his office is intentionally the same size as his old one. It is filled with memorabilia. Photo by Sierra Williams
The new Flagler County Sheriff's Office Operations and District 3 building is open and raring to go.
Sheriff Rick Staly gave several tours to the new, state-of-the-art facility at a grand opening ceremony on Monday, Dec. 19. The new facility will consolidate many aspects of the sheriff's office into one location, where they have been spread out across the county.
"I've been homeless for four years," Staly said. "So I'm ready for a home."
The facility is a two-story building designed by Architects Design Group of Winter Park and built by AJAX Construction of Jacksonville. It has many unique features, but Staly said he's most proud of the built-in Faraday room.
"I've been homeless for four years. So I'm ready for a home." — Sheriff Rick Staly
The Faraday room is made entirely out of copper and steel, and it is the only such room in Northeast Florida, Staly said. The room blocks electromagnetic fields, so it is impossible to hack into devices that are in them. Technology seized as evidence will be stored in this room until a digital autopsy can be performed, the sheriff said.
"Here's my message to the criminals: sorry, when we seize your tech, you're done for," Staly said.
The building's address is 61-1 Sheriff E.W. Johnston Drive, and is located behind the Flagler County government complex. The new road is named after the county's first sheriff, and 61-1 has two references: 61 because Flagler County was the 61st county formed in Florida, and 61-1 is the sheriff's call sign.
County Commissioner Chair Greg Hansen said the sheriff and his team have managed to reduce crime in the county while working out of multiple locations.
"It's been almost two years to the day since we broke ground," Hansen said.
The building was designed with the intention of remembering the Sheriff's Office's history as well as serving the future. The main lobby serves as a museum with memorabilia from FCSO's history — hats, guns, radios — lining one wall, and a cabinet filled with trophies along the next. Above the elevators, photos of all of the county's sheriffs hang in chronological order. A 2013 Harley Davidson FCSO motorcycle is displayed next to the front door.
The operations center will also be able grow with the county for years. The building has extra office space built-in to allow for growth in the number of deputies and employees in the sheriff's office. On top of that, 30,000 extra square feet has been factored into the current design to make it easier to expand if there is ever a need.
There are multiple offices and conference rooms, a multipurpose-training room with an attached catering room that can serve for community events and award ceremonies, locker rooms — with showers, a new feature at this building — and a physical fitness center. The fitness center is named after Sheriff Homer Brooks who died on job from a heart attack; Sheriff Staly said he hopes the center will make it easier on deputies and employees to maintain their fitness.
The physical fitness center features $75,000 worth of equipment, which was donated by Duane Sizemore when he sold his gym. The new operation center also has state-of-the-art evidence processing rooms, including an evidence vehicle garage that has a lift. There is more storage for evidence and more security — they have designed lockers for deputies to place evidence into, where only the evidence technicians can access it once locked.
Three secure interview rooms are on the ground floor and will be monitored by cameras constantly when someone is inside. The cameras are one of the few items not installed yet, though they will be by the time the facility is in use in January, the Sheriff said.
Staly said the building was truly a team effort and he thanked everyone who had a part in bringing it to fruition.
"This is a day to celebrate the reunification of our team," Staly said. "So welcome home, employees, to your new home."
