SARSOTA COUNTY, Fla. — In Sarasota County, one commissioner says the jail population has reached an "emergency" level. Numbers given to Spectrum News by the sheriff's office confirm the situation: they are housing nearly 300 more inmates than what the facility was built for.

What You Need To Know • The Sarasota County Jail, built to house 773 people, is overcrowded by about 300 inmates • The former sheriff said that in 2021 he presented a plan to renovate the jail for $100 million. That project sat, and is now estimated to cost $700 million • Sarasota judicial and county officials are working to lower the population, but many of the programs only serve a small number of inmates • A Sarasota county commissioners haven't decided how to proceed with the jail renovation and expansion

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