Court Services Bureau

Inmate Labor Program

The Land O' Lakes Detention Center is the central booking and intake location for all law enforcement agencies operating in Pasco County.  The care, custody and control of individuals arrested in Pasco County by the Sheriff's Office and various state and local police agencies is the responsibility of the Pasco Sheriff's Office Court Services Bureau.

Confined in the Land O' Lakes Detention Facilities are those individuals who have been arrested and held without bond, been unable to post bail set by the courts, are being transferred from other states or counties while awaiting trial in Pasco County, or those found guilty and sentenced to serve less than one year in county jail. This facility houses both sentenced and waiting-to-be sentenced males and females on misdemeanor and felony crimes.  Juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17 who have be adjudicated as adults are also housed in the facility.

The Land O’ Lakes Detention Facility is located at 20101 Central Boulevard in Land O' Lakes and was dedicated on March 1, 1991.  It is a two-story, reinforced masonry facility and was originally comprised of three inmate housing pods and a central administrative and support core. In addition, there is a 55-bed medical/psychiatric unit and a new housing unit.

Each housing unit contains a total of 96 cells divided into six 16-cell units, each with a dayroom space. Each pod has one handicap cell, with one pod containing eight cells designated for higher risk inmates. All cells are equipped with double bunks.  In August, 2009 a three-story addition was completed which includes 12 housing units, with a total inmate capacity of 768.  The detention facility, including Sheriff's Office administrative sections, contains 345,992 square feet and has a rated capacity of 1,432 beds. 

Although the care of the inmates is the responsibility of the Board of County Commissioners, the Sheriff has agreed to operate the detention facility. The State of Florida and the federal government impose standards to which the Sheriff must comply. These include minimum square foot living space, medical and dental treatment, a complete up-to-date law library and other tax-supported services.

Each inmate housing unit is staffed by a deputy who is responsible for the control of the inmates, called direct supervision. This system helps to reduce the number of staff necessary to operate the facility and also reduces inmate violence and vandalism. It also enhances interaction between inmates and staff and reduces the frequent and costly movement of inmates by providing services in the housing areas.

The Court Services Bureau is commanded by Major Beckman who oversees the entire operation, which is divided into two divisions.

Administrative Support Division is commanded by Captain Ray Revell and is comprised of the following sections:

Operations Division is commanded by Captain Mike Ferrantelli and is comprised of the following sections:

The Land O' Lakes facility was granted its sixth reaccredidation in October 2010 by the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections.  This commission sets the highest standards for correction facilities across the nation. The Pasco County Detention Facility was evaluated on facility standards such as fire evacuation plans, safety procedures, medical and health requirements, security and control procedures, and firearm practices. Also evaluated were administrative and fiscal procedures, housing conditions, inmate programs, staff training and hiring practices, food service and facility building specifications.

History:

• A temporary 118 bed structure adjacent to the Land O' Lakes Detention Facility was opened May 1, 2007. The temporary structure was assembled on site.  The structure was put in place to relieve inmate overcrowding while a new jail addition was being constructed.  On December 17, 2007 a tornado struck the facility and the temporary structure was destroyed.  The inmates were evacuated from the structure prior to the disaster.  The temporary structure was rebuilt and reopened in approximately 45 days. 

Minimum Security Annex, Land O' Lakes Detention Center

The Minimum Security Annex is a reduced-cost solution for Pasco County's ever-increasing inmate population problem. The building is a tensioned-membrane structure that is designed to withstand 110 mile per hour winds. It can house up to 104 inmates who are either awaiting trial or serving minor sentences for non-violent, misdemeanor crimes. The building is a state-of-the-art facility that has its own showers, bathrooms and recreational area which are separate from the main detention center structure. It can be disassembled and moved to a new site in the future if needed.  More than $18,000 worth of inmate labor was used in the construction of peripheral elements of the MSA. The MSA facility has passed a state-mandated review by Florida Model Jail Standards inspectors.