What to Know
- The Miramar Police Department moved into their brand new headquarters this week.
- The $23 million building means the whole force will be under one roof for the first time since 2005.
For over a decade, the Miramar Police Department has been dealing with being renters instead of having its own home.
Following the destruction of Hurricane Wilma that ripped a hole in their old headquarters, the agency has spent the last 11 years renting office space and having certain departments in different locations.
That all changed with the construction of the department's new $23 million facility, which opened this week.
The three story, 65,000 building will be able to withstand a Category 5 hurricanes and will also have the ability to host public meetings in the facility.
All of Miramar's street officers, detectives and other staff will be in the same location, as the building will also feature indoor holding cells.
In the past, officers would have to question suspects in their patrol cars or borrow space from the Broward Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale.
Local
Much of the delay in building the new headquarters came from battles between the city and the insurers of their former building, while the city also battled with FEMA over getting money from the storm damage.
Miramar's city commission approved a measure in 2013 to help pay for the building as well as other projects in an effort to attract more businesses and commerce. The department also utilized forfeiture funds from previous cases to help pay for all the costs.
