New signs help people locate Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office facilities

The signage also enables designation of ‘SafeTrade’ places, Sheriff’s Office says

A new sign is lit up outside the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office on Ringling Boulevard in Sarasota. Image courtesy Sheriff's Office — A new sign is lit up outside the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office on Ringling Boulevard in Sarasota. Image courtesy Sheriff’s Office

New signs installed on the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office building in downtown Sarasota will help people seeking assistance, find the headquarters for routine business and allow the agency to offer a safe location to conduct online transactions, the Sheriff’s Office announced this week.

The office shares a building at 2071 Ringling Blvd. in downtown Sarasota, a press release notes. The outdoor façade has said, “Sarasota County Justice Center,” without identifying its tenants, the release adds. When the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office became the only law enforcement agency with a front desk open and staffed 24 hours a day, Sheriff Tom Knight felt the lack of signage posed a public safety issue, the release continues. “He voiced his concerns to Sarasota County Government, and after a lengthy permitting process with the City of Sarasota, the signs were approved and recently installed.”

“It’s more logical than anything else, but citizens and visitors should know how to find a sheriff’s deputy when they’re in downtown Sarasota, or feel safe knowing that they are right outside the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office,” Knight pointed out in the release.

Image courtesy of the Sheriff's Office — Image courtesy of the Sheriff’s Office

Because people can now clearly identify the location of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the release says, Knight also is designating the office’s north and south county facilities as “SafeTrade” places for people who need to arrange online transactions “and want an additional sense of security when buyers and sellers meet.”

“Both locations have long been used by parents who want a neutral location to exchange children for visitation,” the release notes. While the Sarasota facility does not have its own parking, spaces are available along the south side of the building on Ringling Boulevard. An indoor lobby is staffed by law enforcement officers 24/7, the release adds.

The Venice office has its own parking lot, and the lobby is open and staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, the release says.