Latest Courthouse Snafu: Wrong Seal Hung In Courtrooms And New Bldg Is Delayed Again
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The opening of the Broward County’s new courthouse has been delayed again and one of construction snafus involves the wrong seal hung behind the judge’s benches.
The seal of Broward County was installed in the new building.
The court system is a branch of state government, not the county.
The $262.4 million courthouse tower was supposed to open in the summer of 2015.
It is still uncompleted due to snags with the utilities hookups, difficulties completing a elevated pedestrian walkway, many changes the judges requested and now the seals
And now the wrong seals.
Broward County seal was installed
State seal should have been installed
Chief Judge Peter Weinstein confirmed the mistake and said he has demanded they be corrected before the judges move into the building.
“We are a separate but equal branch of state government and not part of the county,” Weinstein told Browardbeat.com. “I told them to replace all those seals or I will have to order seals of the State of Florida and paste it over the Broward seals.”
One source told Browardbeat.com that not only was the wrong seal installed, but seal misspelled “Broward.”
County Plans Followed
Other than the reported misspelling, the problem could have been because Broward County government is paying for the construction of the new building, which it will own.
Danny Hoisman, head of contractor Tutor Perini’s Florida division told Browardbeat.com: “We do not and cannot determine what signs go where. We just install them in accordance with the County’s design drawings.”
He told the Sun-Sentinel in a story about the courthouse posted after Browardbeat.com’s piece Friday: All delays “are the county’s responsibility. The county hired the designers, and there were design errors and omissions in the documents.”
The county owns the firm $11.3 million for “hundreds of changes and delays,” the contractor told the paper, with Hoisman adding that he hopes the differences are “amicably” resolved.
The building is just east of South Andrews Avenue and Southeast Sixth Street.
“They own the real estate which they are required by the state to provide,” Weinstein said. “We are established by the Constitution as a separate entity that is not controlled or part of the county government.”
No completion date has been announced and Weinstein has no clue yet when the building is due to be open.
The move in will take approximately three months.
“Judges learn patience because trials take a long time,” Weinstein said. “….When the county is satisfied with the building, we will move it. If its another one or two or three months.”
September 23rd, 2016 at 11:07 am
another delay. wow. remember that this was rejected by the voters but the commissioners rammed it thru. the building is rife with problems. cell phones and communication radios are not yet operable. also reported leaks as well.and a largely empty building sits there with the a/c having to be running.in 2014 ritter crowed about another broward county project running on schedule.and every inmate in the bcj will be looking for weaknesses, a la resiles. the fcc tracks are just a short jog away.looking more like the spring of 2017, if we’re fortunate.
September 23rd, 2016 at 11:26 am
Don’t get me stsrted on this.
1. NO knowledge of State Government?
2. NEVER CHECKED WITH ANYBODY BEFORE ORDERING N PLACING THE SEALS?
3. WHERE WAS THE COUNTY MONITORING OF THE PROJECT or
Was the County Monitor as plain DUMB as the contractor!
This is just so LOW CLASS and IGNORANT!
September 23rd, 2016 at 11:27 am
The county used to say the builder will pay fines if the building is late. Now we learn it is the county.s fault and the taxpayers will have to pay more. Question: will the same builder be used for the demo of the old courthouse and construction of the new garage?
September 23rd, 2016 at 11:29 am
Where is Commissioner Bogan? Where is Commission Wexler? Crack down on your staff
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:43 pm
My question is who is the project manager and why are there no inquiries why the change orders were made once construction started? where the judges not asked for input at the design stage?
Its incredible how these issues mainly happen with government buildings. When its private builders and they are concerned with the bottom line you dont see stuff like this.
September 23rd, 2016 at 3:24 pm
Remember the missing keys to the jail…
September 24th, 2016 at 7:40 am
@ #2
Methinks most of the Broward County government including the County Commission is staffed by Democrats. Perhaps there is a connection between the waste, disregard for the voters’ wishes, and the incompetence in completing this building. Just maybe!
September 24th, 2016 at 8:43 am
A house of cards built by politicians & lawyers, just make sure the over-priced art work is hung straight.
September 24th, 2016 at 11:19 am
I keep reading about the train wreck that’s Broward government, School Board and sheeple that keep them in office and keep feeling happy that I’m no longer supporting the malfeasance.
Here in Hillsborough activists of all kinds worked together to keep a sales tax for rail from even getting on the ballot. And we’re going to elect a majority of sensible fiscal conservatives to the County Commission. The City of Tampa is a liberal island much like Broward, but fortunately cannot inflict the abuses that are habitual in Broward.
The School Board isn’t where it needs to be, but certainly isn’t the misguided mess that exists in Broward. You had a chance to elect a majority to stop the outrages, but instead re-elected the worst member in recent history. How insulting was it when the Sun-Sentinel extolled the virtues of Dr. Lynch-Walsh, and then blatantly endorsed her opponent because she was the only black member of the Board, ignoring the fact that Dr. Lynch-Walsh is mixed race. I guess she’s not pure enough for the Editorial Board.
September 24th, 2016 at 1:33 pm
@9 Miss Greenbarg is 100% right about what she writes BUT DR ROSALIND OSGOOD IS EVERYWHERE ON BOARDS COMMITTEES IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY N GAY/LESBIAN COMMUNITY and just go to a meeting in Fort Lauderdale City Hall and see her name as this or that to get jobs housing cultural editiinal funds for Blacks Gays n Lesbians. OF COURSE THESE GROUPS SUPPORT HER!
Dr Lynch-Walsh mught be the greatest person in the world BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN HER PHOTO IN A SPREAD TALKUNG ABOUT HER GETTING FUNDING FOR THIS OR THAT GROUP.
People naturally vote for Santa Claus not the Grinch.
September 24th, 2016 at 11:16 pm
the state and county ‘Seals’ are not why the courthouse is delayed.
again.
stuff doesn’t ‘fit’ where its supposed to fit, ceilings can’t be dropped to ‘make room’ and wait till they start the ‘test and balance’.
September 25th, 2016 at 12:43 am
This is just one shining example why Broward voters need to vote “no” on this penny tax in November. The revenue will never go where it’s supposed to on the county’s end. Starting with it’s deceptive nickname, once again Broward is going to attempt to dupe it’s residents into forking over more cash for them to squander. VOTE NO on the PENNY TAX!
September 25th, 2016 at 12:22 pm
They spelled Broward wrong, what did they have it as….”Backward County” ?
September 25th, 2016 at 3:20 pm
#2
YAA artists could do Pro Bono graffiti spray art over eack misspilled graffic signes. It would keep them from being gang members an increse the domocratic voters.
September 25th, 2016 at 6:46 pm
The County seal is ugly tasteless low class and NO CIVILIZED PERSON OR ENTITOR could or would design create or use SUCH A PIECE OF CxxP!
Who designed this? A machine? A ACTUAL HUMAN BEING has such bad taste?
Show me one city county state nation family person with an uglier seal!
September 27th, 2016 at 10:22 am
@12 Allen brownfield
you summed it up. voters will not approve the sales tax increase. the more these guys get the more they waste. school bonds were different because the fee is on the tax bills and many voters do not own property (but neglect to understand the rent increases may be the result of bonds, etc.)
the sales tax will hit the wallet of every one who spends.
September 27th, 2016 at 1:37 pm
Count LF etc., You’re right about the money train. Once elected, officials make sure they keep the cash coming to the groups that support them. That’s what’s so very wrong. All citizens should receive a share of the largesse, but for now, it’s about showing them the money.
Having said that, Dr. Lynch-Walsh is about accountability for the money that government extracts from all of us, and until that becomes the reason to get elected, you’ll see more of the same.