The only people around the new Duval County Courthouse at 7 a.m. this morning were a few construction workers.
The building has yet to pass its fire system safety test, so the scheduled opening today has been delayed.
Court Administrator Joe Stelma said this morning that his staff is working to set up lines of communication with the public.
Stelma said he is “concerned and confused.”
“All I can say is we’re not there yet. We’re just telling people to stand by,” he said.
David DeCamp, director of communications for Mayor Alvin Brown, said this morning the courthouse will open after systems comply with the law.
“The new Duval County Courthouse will open once the contractor completes the building, including the fire safety systems, and the fire safety systems have been tested and comply with the law. At this time, the project contractors have not met either requirement,” DeCamp said.
“We will keep you posted on the status of that testing and compliance process,” he said.
Circuit Judge Mallory Cooper said this morning that the judiciary will meet at 9:30 a.m. to decide what to do about scheduling for the rest of this week.
She said she understands that the City and Turner Construction Co. are working to have the building certified as safe in order for the Certificate of Occupancy to be issued, but that’s the extent of the information available.
“We don’t know anything. We’re doing the best we can with very little information,” Cooper said.
Jackelyn Barnard, spokeswoman for State Attorney Angela Corey, issued a statement late Friday: “The State Attorney’s Office is still open for business and our attorneys are ready to go to court wherever that may be. This is an unfortunate hardship, but we will adjust and continue to pursue justice in the Fourth Judicial Circuit.”
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