The fact that the Cape Coral, Florida, Police Facility was designed and built in record time and under budget is noteworthy—but toss in tough political and economic challenges, and it becomes a case study of how to achieve a new police facility against the odds.

Located in southwest Florida, Cape Coral is a picturesque community of waterfront properties along 400 miles of canals and populated by 160,000 citizens. The city was developed in the 1960s to cater to fishing and hunting enthusiasts, and growth projections ranked it as one of the fastest growing communities in Florida. In recent years, as the economy took a downturn, Cape Coral went from a leader in growth to a leader in the number of foreclosures. In this challenging climate—almost a perfect storm of political, public, and economic drawbacks—the Cape Coral Police Department had reached a critical need for a new facility. The police department was housed in the former city hall, which had been parceled out and modified into a piecemeal public safety facility.