Ocoee seeks state funds for police training center, trail connection

OCOEE – During their May 16 commission meeting, Ocoee city leaders received an update regarding several state bills that either passed both legislative chambers and await the Florida governor’s signature or failed.

The brief synopsis, courtesy of the GrayRobinson law firm and State Sen. Randolph Bracy, held both good news and bad news for the Ocoee commission and its future initiatives.

The good news was that its request for $700,000 in state funding to construct a multi-jurisdictional law-enforcement training center, based in Ocoee, had passed both chambers.

“What we did is we put in a grant through the state, but that’s under the budget the governor hasn’t signed,” said Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson. “We don’t know if (Gov. Rick Scott) is going to approve it or not. … So we’re waiting to see what’s going to happen.”

The center, which Johnson estimates would cost a total of $3 million, would be open to police from Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland, Windermere, Orange County and others. The idea evolved from an original proposal to build a gun range for law enforcement.

“We’re just waiting to see if it gets signed or not, because we won’t be able to do it without that funding,” Johnson said.

A second funding request the city placed March 15 involved the $44 million downtown revitalization project, specifically the project to construct the Franklin Street trail, which would connect downtown Ocoee to downtown Winter Garden. According to the document detailing the official funding request, the first segment of the trail would cost about $2 million but Ocoee requested $954,000 from the state. 

–––

Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected].