by James Coulter
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) will soon have a new joint warehouse and facility to store evidence, emergency supplies, and offices now that Polk County Commissioners have approved an agreement for architectural & engineering services with an architectural firm.
At their regular meeting on Tues., June 17, 2025, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved an agreement with The Lunz Group, LLC to provide for the design, permitting, bidding, and construction administration of a new facility and warehouse for the PCSO.
The proposed project will include the following three components:
- 1. An 80,000-square-foot warehouse for property and evidence storage that includes 15,000 square feet of office space for the Sheriff’s Office.
- 2. A 10,000-square-foot emergency supply storage to support shelters or any other storm-related need
- 3. A 10,000 square foot for the Facilities Management administration office.
“The new warehouse will allow the Sheriff’s Office to combine its three existing storage locations into one central location in Bartow, Florida,” wrote Tabatha Shirah, Procurement Analyst, in the agenda item memo.
“Centralizing the storage operations of the Sheriff’s Office will provide for a more secure location while increasing the efficiency of tracking all items that are stored at the warehouse,” she continued.
The project will also include offices for Polk County Facilities Management “to replace 3 existing buildings which have reached the end of their useful life” and a warehouse to provide storage for emergency supplies “that might be needed during the declaration of an emergency.”
Per the agreement, The Lunz Group will provide design, permitting, bidding, and construction administration services, all of which are expected to be completed within 450 days.
County commissioners motioned, seconded, and voted unanimously to approve the agreement.
