Thanks to voters, Broward could borrow money for a jail. With the judge breathing down their necks, officials had to act, so they decided to spend at least $43 million to convert a courthouse parking lot into an 840-bed jail. A faraway site in Coconut Creek was considered, but experts said the cost to move prisoners back and forth was too great. In crisis mode, they overlooked obvious locations, such as Broward Boulevard west of I-95, where the sheriff’s headquarters is today.