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Florida's Taj Majal Courthouse Leads to New Rules Against 'Grandiose, Monumental and Luxurious' Facilities

By Bruce Carton

I have been following the ongoing reports from Talahassee, Fla. about a newly-built courthouse that houses the Florida First District Court of Appeal. To make a long story short, it appears that the judges of the First DCA somehow managed to accidentally build themselves a "Taj Mahal"-caliber facility that includes "27 flat screen TVs, bathrooms and kitchens for all 15 judges, granite counter- and desktops and miles of African mahogany" among other things, the Miami Herald reports. I do not know how the planning, funding and construction of a $49 million Taj Mahal could have escaped the notice of everyone involved until it was all-but-completed, but that appears to be the case. Now members of the Florida Senate are up-in-arms about how such a development could have occurred, and "angrily questioned" two First DCA judges on Wednesday about the matter, according to Florida Today. During the hearing, two judges apologized "if the building exceeded legislative intent" and Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady promised to issue an order that would require closer scrutiny of future capital projects for courts. Sen. Mike Fasano, chair of the Florida Senate's Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee that called the hearing, noted that the...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on January 18, 2011 (boomark / email).