Law enforcement agencies typically focus on public safety — not real estate. So, when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement set out to strengthen its presence in rapidly growing Southwest Florida, it partnered with two development firms: one regional, one national.
On July 31, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement broke ground on its new regional headquarters at 16595 Oriole Road, just northwest of the Alico Road interchange at Interstate 75.
FDLE will lease the 64,000-square-foot facility for the next 25 years, with two five-year renewal options. It will be built to suit by south Fort Myers-based Seagate Development Group.
Seagate forged a business partnership with Easterly Government Properties. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Easterly is a publicly traded company that specializes in real estate projects, mostly for federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ICE, Veterans Affairs and the military.
“Our stock symbol is DEA — because we have a sense of humor, and because they wouldn’t let us have FBI,” said Darrell Crate, CEO of Easterly. He reached out to Seagate CEO Matt Price upon learning Seagate had won the closed bidding process against two other competitors.
The construction costs will be about $36 million, Price said, and the land cost about $5.5 million, property records show.
Easterly gets involved in providing the bulk of the capital involved for construction, Crate said.
“Government isn’t very good at building these types of facilities,” Crate said. “We can do it on time and on budget.
“Seagate really understands the area and really understands Lee County.”
The state granted FDLE about $5 million to outfit the facility with some new equipment. The rest of the forensics equipment will be moved from FDLE’s current facility of about 42,000 square feet at Page Field in Fort Myers.
The Fort Myers Regional Operations Center will be a two-story facility on 8.29 acres.
Gary Tasman, CEO of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, represented Seagate in the land deal, securing a contract with longtime local landowner Alan Freeman. Tasman also negotiated the lease agreement between Seagate, Easterly and FDLE, which will pay approximately $75 per square foot — or about $4.8 million annually.
“Today’s event isn’t just about concrete and steel,” said Vaden Pollard, deputy commissioner of the FDLE. “It’s about the resilience of a community. It’s about providing people an environment where they can get their work done.
“Oftentimes forensic services are critical to delivering truth, justice and closure to victims and their families. It’s an investment in your safety and your mission for every Floridian that we serve.”
Price credited Lee County with enabling a smooth permitting process, receiving a development order within 45 days of applying for one.
Construction is expected to be finished by October 2026.
“What we’re seeing breaking ground is going to be an amazing resource for the entire area,” state Sen. Jonathan Martin said.
FDLE has about 1,900 employees statewide with a mission of promoting public safety and strengthening domestic security.
The crime laboratory will be equipped with DNA analysis, toxicology, firearm examination and digital evidence processing to support the state’s regional operations center — one of seven locations across Florida.
About 70 employees will begin working there, said Eli Lawson, who leads the Fort Myers FDLE office. He said it will have the capacity to grow to about 100 employees.
“The I-75 corridor is the perfect location for us,” Lawson said.
