Shorstein Asks Governor For Special Prosecutor In Courthouse Probe
$64 Million Spent; Ground Yet To Be Broken
"The appointment will remove any suggestion of conflict and any appearance of impropriety. More importantly, an expeditious appointment will allow the fine citizens who have served on the Grand Jury to continue and to conclude their investigation."Reached late Thursday, Mullaney said he would fully cooperate if there was a special prosecutor and a new grand jury.The governor's office said they had received Shorstein's request, but there was no information on whether Crist has seen it or how soon he might respond.
Incoming State Attorney Not Surprised
After three decades as state attorney, Shorstein did not seek re-election and will leave office in January.Angela Corey, who was elected to fill the position in August, said she was not surprised at the conflict between Shorstein and Mullaney."Harry Shorstein should not be investigating anyone with whom he has a personal bias or vendetta," Corey told Channel 4's Jim Piggott.Corey said she's not even sure she would continue the grand jury probe once she takes office."I have no early idea what Mr. Shorstein is doing and no one else does either," Corey said. "So any investigation --whether it’s a grand jury investigation or pending investigation on an individual case -- will be carefully scrutinized when we take over in January."Critical Audit Of Courthouse Project Released
The audit of the project obtained by Channel 4 in April faults city officials for wasting money, flawed contracts, and under-estimating the cost of the new courthouse.The project ground to a halt years ago when estimated construction costs doubled the dedicated funding approved by voters in the Better Jacksonville Plan.The voters were told a new courthouse would cost $190 million. The current estimate supported by Mayor John Peyton and approved by the City Council is $350 million.The city still hopes to break ground on downtown property west of the federal courthouse about the first of the year, with completion by 2011.- October 2, 2008: City Attorney Wants State Attorney Disqualified From Courthouse Probe
- June 27, 2008: Grand Jury Reviewing Courthouse Spending
- April 22, 2008: City Council Approves $350M For Courthouse
- March 31, 2008: Cost Estimate For New Courthouse Goes Down
- February 13, 2008: City To Pay Part-Timer $250/Hour Get Courthouse Off Ground
- November 17, 2007: New Courthouse Price Tag Nears $400 Million
- May 1, 2007: Duval County Courthouse Plans Scrapped -- Again
- March 29, 2007: Mayor Proposes $316 Million Courthouse
- January 25, 2006: City Council OKs New Courthouse Plan
- July 21, 2005: Mayor Picks Plan For New Courthouse
- June 21, 2005: New Courthouse Could Be Delayed Again
- April 27, 2005: $300 Million Courthouse Plans Cause Sticker Shock
- October 27, 2004: Mayor May Put Brakes On New Courthouse
- August 25, 2004: Mayor Raises Price Tag For New Courthouse
- August 20, 2004: Mayor's New Courthouse Plan Draws Swift Criticism
- August 17, 2004: Mayor: Courthouse Costs To Rise; Lawbreakers Foot Bill
- May 21, 2004: New Courthouse Still Stirring Up Controversy
- May 12, 2004: Mayor Vows To Build Courthouse On Budget
- April 26, 2004: Businesses Claim Courthouse Project Hurts Profits
- April 23, 2004: City Fires Courthouse Project's Management Co.
- April 20, 2004: Mayor Calls For Temporary Halt To Courthouse Construction
- November 26, 2003: Council Approves Bigger Courthouse Budget
- November 12, 2003: Traditional Courthouse Design Ranks On Top
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