JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Just because the long-delayed new Duval County Courthouse is finally under construction doesn't mean all the controversy is behind the project.
One of the selling points to build the new $350 million courthouse was to create jobs for the city, but it was expected those jobs would be American workers -- not illegal immigrants.
So city workers said they were shocked when they learned Monday that out of 350 construction workers hired at the courthouse, 100 of them had falsified green cards.
That does not sit well with Kelly McMullen.
"I've been looking for a job since March, February of this year and I can't get any work anywhere," McMullen said.
Hiring undocumented workers could be a major problem for the contractors building the courthouse.
"Our primary concern is to make sure everyone who is working is doing so legally, so we have asked the General Council's Office to examine all of the facts involved, all of the laws involved and any contract provision to determine how best we should move forward," said Misty Skipper, spokeswoman for Mayor John Peyton.
The city has sent a letter to the general contractor, Turner Construction, saying, "knowingly hiring illegal workers could include contract termination." The city says the work badges of all the 100 illegal workers must be revoked, and failure to do so would be a breach of contract.
Federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials have been watching the construction site and have picked up 19 illegal workers near the courthouse since September.
The U.S. Border patrol told Channel 4's Jim Piggott that they are not legally allowed on the construction site, so the city has required the contractor to keep extensive records of employees, including green cards of anyone not a citizen of the United States. A review of those records on Monday revealed that scores of immigrant workers did not have proper documentation.
The city said they will be watching even closer in the future.
"Our concern is that there are people working on a city job site ... not doing so legally," Skipper said.
Previous Stories: - May 13, 2009: Construction Begins On Courthouse
- April 28, 2009: Courthouse Plan Moving Forward
- January 14, 2009: Grand Jury Calls Duval Courthouse Project 'Disgrace, Debacle'
- January 14, 2009: Mayor Peyton's Statement On Grand Jury Investigation
- 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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