BUNNELL, Fla. -- The Flagler County Sheriff says he and his employees are working in a "sick building," with dozens complaining of illnesses they say are related to the facility.
- Scores of Flagler Sheriff's workers on worker's comp
- They say they've been working in a 'sick building'
- Building formerly housed Memorial Hospital Flagler
The Sheriff's Operations Center "was built in the late '70s, early '80s as a hospital," Flagler Sheriff's Chief Mark Strobridge said.
The building has been the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office's home for three years, and since then, officials said complaints from sick employees have been piling up.
"Rashes, hives and upper respiratory issues," Strobridge said, listing some of the complaints.
Strobridge also works in the building, which was once Memorial Hospital Flagler. The county bought and renovated it, and in 2015, the Sheriff's employees moved in.
The Sheriff first started hearing complaints about the building last November.
"I got people that are in fear of coming to work, which could have significant impact on how they police this county," Strobridge said.
The county had air quality and mold tests done. Workers found mold in two rooms and an air handler. Employees were moved out while remediation was done.
The employees returned, and the Sheriff's Office said they're sick again.
There are more than two dozen employees on worker's compensation, claiming the same type of symptoms allegedly caused by the building.
"We’re talking about investigators that are superstars," Strobridge said.
The Sheriff thinks the concrete block structure of the building was never knocked down but only gutted from the inside. He said mold or contaminants could be inside the old concrete structure, or there could even be something in the soil around the building.
"It could be something that was introduced apart of the rebuilding process... could be something because it's an old leftover hospital," Strobridge said.
The county said it's also concerned and has spent thousands on testing and remediation and hasn't found any potential health risks to anyone using the building. In a statement, Flagler County said in part:
"It has been communicated to the Sheriff on many occasions that if there is a problem, we want to identify it and do what is necessary to correct the matter."
The county said it will have a senior management consultant with an engineering systems company perform a broader and more scientific analysis to address the concerns.
Flagler County also said it has started exploring options for alternative office space at the sheriff's request. Further testing of the Sheriff's Operations Center will begin this June.
"Everybody that works in this building certainly has concern. What we need to know is that the environment is safe for all of us," Strobridge said.
