Lee County opens emergency center expansion ahead of hurricane season

Manhattan Construction Company has finished an expansion at the Lee County Public Safety Center, just as the 2025 hurricane season kicks off.

The company, with dual headquarters in Naples and Tulsa, Oklahoma, built the 36,873-square-foot, two-story wing at the center on Ortiz Avenue. The addition, according to a statement, was built to improve emergency response capabilities across the county’s public safety agencies.

With the $38.5 million expansion, the county has a new emergency communications center to make sure 911 and dispatch services are uninterrupted during severe weather events; new centralized offices; a dedicated area for law enforcement; training and coordination rooms; and “24/7 resilience amenities” with sleeping quarters, restrooms, showers and break areas so emergency workers can stay onsite during emergencies.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting was held at the center May 29.