On Aug. 26, Wharton-Smith team members celebrated the topping out of the Courthouse Annex, adjacent to the Criminal Justice Center. See more pictures.
More than 230 subcontractors lined up to get a BBQ feast, project shirts, and raffle tickets for more than $5,500 in cash and prizes, including a 50-inch Visio TV, a Blackstone Griddle, and a video game console.
Before the giveaways, Stephanie Farmer and Brad Buffington congratulated everyone on their excellent work: “We are here today to celebrate you guys. You’re all here day in and day out with boots on the ground, putting all the work in place at a fast pace and with a sense of pride, exceptional quality, and great craftsmanship. Today is all about you, the men and women who have brought this amazing building out of the ground and given it life,” Brad said.
The Annex spans 104,000 square feet and is four stories high, with a new entry plaza, parking area for the general public, and a controlled access lot for end users.
The Courthouse Annex is part of a larger, master plan to bring criminal and civil court proceedings into one location in the Five Points area of Sanford. It will house the State Attorney, Public Defender, Clerk of the Court, Seminole Sheriff’s Civil Processing Unit, and other administrative spaces.
The Annex is the crown jewel of the first phase of the Seminole County Justice Center Master Plan. The full Phase I contract being celebrated at this topping-out party also included a five-story parking garage, a new central chiller plant, and campus-wide utility upgrades, all intended to serve the entire buildout for the ten-year Master Plan.
