Security was also a major factor in the design of the Orange County Courthouse. Holding cells can be found in the back areas of numerous floors and the courthouse basement houses a 170 person daytime jail supported by a sally port for secure transfer of inmates to and from the Orange County Jail. Three separate elevator systems transport judges, public and inmates to the various floors of the building. In fact, judges can enter the building by car, go to their chambers or enter any courtroom without leaving a secured area. The building’s massive limestone face was intended to evoke more traditional halls of justice, such as Orange County’s 1927 courthouse (now the Orange County Regional History Center). These traditional designs were modeled after Greek temples, seen as symbols of democracy.
The courthouse was completed in late 1997 and fully occupied and open for business after the New Year’s holiday. Opening festivities on January 23, which took place inside because of the threat of rain, had all the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony to break ground for Orange County’s first major courthouse in 1892, more than a century before.
At least 50 judges in robes, the Orange County Sheriff’s Color Guard, and U.S. Sen. Connie Mack were part of the procession of dignitaries that also included a fife and drum corps playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Other officials included County Chairman Linda Chapin, Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood, state Supreme Court Justice Charles T. Wells, and Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr.
“Today is a great day in the history of Orange County,” said Judge Perry. “This day we dedicate and consecrate this hallowed place of justice. The chairman, the commission, and the judges of this circuit saw a vision of a facility that was not only stately and dignified, but also a place of justice as a centerpiece for this community,” Judge Perry said in his remarks.