New State Attorney's Office nearly complete

Building set to open in January

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Courthouse has been open for more than two years, but the new State Attorney's Office, which was supposed to open at the same time, is still being built.

The office will be housed in the old federal courthouse, which is being renovated. The building will be linked with the new courthouse.

It's scheduled to open by the end of January.

The project cost $27.5 million.

"It's coming along well. We got a lot of odds and ends to finish up though," said Tom Goldsbury, who's overseeing the project for the city's Public Works Department.

The project was delayed two years ago because of funding and contract problems. The building, which is a historic landmark, was left vacant with broken windows. Some of it is being saved.

"Well, we have preserved one of the old courtrooms upstairs. It will be used for practice and trials," Goldsbury said. "We preserved the law library and preserved the historic corridor up on the fifth floor."

Goldsbury said the building is ready for its new tenants. There was a lot of debate about how much should be renovated and who would use the building, and there was concern about the walkway connecting the courthouse and the State Attorney's Office, specifically the cost and the necessity.

It's been built and is ready to go, and Pearl Street, which runs underneath it, will be open to traffic.


About the Author:

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.