On June 4, Charlotte County public officials, including Sheriff Bill Prummell and Supervisor of Elections Leah Valenti, joined Wharton-Smith and its partners, Schenkel Schultz and BSSW Architects, to break ground on two new facilities. See photos and a live stream of the groundbreaking.
After experiencing devastating hurricanes over the last 20 years, Charlotte County is building hurricane-hardened structures for the Charlotte County Sheriff and Supervisor of Elections. Both projects received funding through the 1% local option sales tax approved by the voters in 2020.
The new $45m Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office facility will house administration staff, including senior command and support staff units. It will also hold medical exam rooms for non-emergency cases, a 911 communication center, and a new state-of-the-art real-time intelligence center.
“I’m really excited to see what this new center is going to bring to Charlotte County,” said Sheriff Bill Prummel. “This is going to be a game changer here.”
The new Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections warehouse is an over 20,000 SF facility providing climate-controlled storage for sensitive elections and polling equipment, related supplies, and support staff. It will feature a staging and receiving area, an elevated receiving dock with levelers and a discharge ramp, and additional smaller truck and loading vehicle ground delivery areas.
“This new warehouse is a vital component of our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of electoral integrity and transparency,” said Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections Leah Valenti. “We look forward to the benefits it will bring to our county, housing our election equipment staff, and also the safety of being in a fully manned, 24/7 secure facility.”
“The Wharton-Smith team is excited to officially mark the groundbreaking for both projects, and we are eager to turn these buildings over to both users to improve their operations,” said Senior Project Manager John Carlson. “We thank the County Commission and Facilities Department for trusting us with these projects.”
Both projects are slated to be completed in early 2026.
