With a burgeoning population that ranked Osceola County in the nation’s 20 fastest-growing counties in the mid-1990s, court facilities were pushed well beyond the point of capacity until the present Osceola Courthouse was completed in 2001.
“The need to additional space for the judiciary in Osceola County is very critical,” Chief Judge Belvin Perry wrote to county leaders in August 1995. “Rapid growth in Osceola County has produced an equally rapid growth in felonies, misdemeanors, traffic cases, juvenile delinquency, divorces, civil disputes of all types, probate cases, and demand for all levels of court services.”
After intensive planning to assess needs for space well into the 21st century, ground was broken in November 1998, and the new, six-story red-brick courthouse, designed to complement the neighboring historic courthouse. On May 7, 2001 a ribbon cutting ceremony was held that officially opened the doors of the new courthouse. Speakers included Judge John Adams, Chief Judge Ted Coleman and Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Wells.