by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
So far, the only tenants of the new $78 million United States Courthouse at Jacksonville are the U.S. Attorneys currently occupying the seventh and eighth floors. When the 11 federal judges and multiple other federal agencies move in is still undecided.
However, according to U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Gerald Tjoflat, everyone will be in the new 15-story building by the end of May. Between now and then, a great deal has to be done beyond packing boxes and hiring movers.
“The reason we haven’t moved is a punch list of items that have to be done, basically, and some other last minute things,” said Tjoflat, who’s organizing the moving process and schedule.
One of those last minute items isn’t so small. Because the old federal courthouse didn’t have air conditioning for years, every single item that will be moved from the old facility to the new facility will have to be treated for possible mold exposure.
“The real problem, and reason we haven’t moved yet, is the mold hysteria,” said Tjoflat, explaining that contractors are very wary these days about moving furniture, files and even old books from decades-old buildings into brand new facilities. “When the movers do come, they will take everything out of the building and run it through a tent set up on Julia Street before they move it into the new building. Every desk, every file, every book in the [law] library will have to be cleaned. It will take about eight weeks longer to get moved.”
Mold has been a persistent problem in the old courthouse. For many of its initial years, the courthouse didn’t have air conditioning. In the winter, the building was closed tight and in the summer, windows were opened to permit cross breezes to cool the courthouse and its users. Humidity and dirt also got into the building, which eventually developed into a mold problem.
Over the past few years, several workers have complained of mold-related illnesses. Many of those claims have been substantiated. Tests found high mold levels and court and construction officials are hesitant to allow anything into the new building without assuring it is contaminant free.
“We knew the cleaning process was coming. The mold complaints are a relatively new phenomenon,” said Tjoflat.
Tjoflat expects to start moving the U.S. Marshal’s office the week of March 24 and the rest of the building should be able to move across Julia Street within 10 weeks.
“We will be in the new building by the end of May,” said Tjoflat, admitting he, personally, will have a tough time packing. “I have a store room in the basement with 34 years of files. I’ll go through them and throw some of them out, but I’ll save some of the historical ones. But they all have to go through the cleaning process.”
Other tenants of the new courthouse, which is technically owned by the General Services Administration, include the U.S. Clerk of Courts, U.S. Probation office and several other federal agencies with offices in Jacksonville.
Before the City can take over the old federal building — which it plans to incorporate into the new $211 million county courthouse complex — the United States Postal Service will have to relocate. The USPS is currently looking for another location in the immediate downtown area.