HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County Commissioners are considering a land swap deal Thursday that would move the sheriff’s office headquarters from its longtime home in Ybor City to a site in the Brandon area.

Under the proposed agreement, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office would relocate further east to 9927 Delaney Lake Dr, which is the current home of Grow Financial. The property is in the process of changing hands, and is under contract to be acquired by well-known Tampa developer Darryl Shaw.

What You Need To Know

  • Under proposed swap, HCSO headquarters would move to 9927 Delaney Lake Dr  

  • HCSO would occupy the current Grow Financial building and 24-acre campus 

  • Grow Financial has plans to move to Gasworx development near Ybor City

Grow Financial previously announced plans to relocate to a new office building that’s part of the upcoming Gasworx development in Ybor City, another project backed by Shaw.

When asked about the idea in early June, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said he couldn’t think of a disadvantage. He referenced their aging facility that requires a lot of maintenance, and the fact the sheriff’s office has nowhere to expand given its current setup in Ybor City.

“Remember, we have to be accessible to the public that we serve,” Sheriff Chronister said. “Ybor City years ago, especially probably back in 1972, when the headquarters was built, it was centrally located. Now that the county has grown, we’re not so centrally located, so when people want to submit a report or come apply for a job, we need to be more accessible.”

Chronister also referenced that he understands what a large footprint the sheriff’s office takes in Ybor City and how that land is desirable for tax revenue and development. 

If the land swap agreement gets approved, the sheriff’s office would occupy the current Grow Financial building. That includes roughly 24 acres of land, and a five-story building with 140,000 square feet of office space. That makes it nearly twice the size of the current HCSO headquarters. 

“Whenever there’s a chance to collaborate for the benefit of taxpayers, the Sheriff’s office, and Ybor City, we are always going to be interested in those opportunities,” Shaw said in a prepared statement. “We are fortunate to have forward thinking public partners who are open to exploring possibilities that could lead to long-term advantages for the community.”

The Hillsborough County Commission is set to discuss the proposed land swap during their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday.