JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mayor John Peyton outlined an updated plan for proceeding with construction on a new county courthouse Wednesday. The mayor has settled on the last of four options presented by a committee in April.

Option 4 calls for the construction of a new 388,000-square-foot criminal courthouse on the new site acquired on the western edge of downtown.

This plan will also result in the relocation of the state attorney's office to the old federal courthouse, a renovation of the Ed Ball Building for use by the public defender's office, and limited renovations of the existing courthouse on Bay Street, which will continue to house civil cases.

Peyton said the latest courthouse project would stay within his original price tag of $268 million. In April, Peyton held a news conference to say that he would not spend more than $200 million on the construction of a new courthouse, even though an advisory committee recommended that the cost could be as much as $356 million.

"At the end of the day, I am accountable to the taxpayer," Peyton said in April. "I am responsible for the budget. I will take their recommendation under advisement, but in my mind, the budget has been set. It has been cleared. It has not changed, and we will move forward under that premise."

Peyton pulled the plug on the courthouse construction last October after the cost spiraled beyond the $268 million cap.

"I know some will be disappointed that we do not plan to build the entire complex right now," Peyton said. "While I respect this opinion, I will not recommend spending more money than we have available. We must live within our means, and Option 4 allows us to do this."

If approved by City Council, the city will begin soliciting bids from a design firm as to the specifications of the new building.