The building debuted with 12 courtrooms and room for 12 more, as well as office space for judges, prosecutors, public defenders, county clerks, court administration staff and others. The basement included a 100-inmate jail.
Courthouse construction was part of a five-phase project that included the four-story county administration building that opened in July 2000, plus renovated offices on Beaumont Avenue, new parking, and restoration of the historic courthouse. That 1890 structure retains its civic presence and remains an icon of Osceola County’s heritage and government. The total cost for all the work—adding items such as new furniture and lighting of parking lots —would be $84 million, county officials said in 2001: the same amount that was planned when the project began.
The new courthouse was designed to assure security, yet maintains a traditional beauty and modern functionality. Each courtroom is wired with the latest technology, but was built with raised flooring that easily allows changes whenever newer technology emerges. It includes a grand foyer entrance with a ceremonial staircase that winds up to the fifth floor and the 140-foot clock tower. The tower height made the building Osceola County's tallest when it debuted requiring FAA clearance due to the proximity of nearby Kissimmee airport.
Today the six floor, 250,000 square foot building is a symbol of pride and heritage for the citizens of Osceola County and is poised to be a center for justice for many decades to come.