Crews break ground on new Broward courthouse

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Crews broke ground at a South Florida courthouse, Tuesday morning.

The Broward County Courthouse is in the process of a makeover. For years the courthouse has faced flooding issues, broken elevators and asbestos problems.

7News covered flooding at the court house twice in 2009, once in 2010 and last year, judges had to temporarily relocate while the building was tested for asbestos. County employees said, finally the 60-year-old building is being replaced.

During the ground-breaking ceremony, District 1 Commissioner Ilene Lieberman said, "Probably some of our biggest supporters have come from people who were called for jury duty and saw the state of the court house, where, on a good day, most of the elevators are working."

The old building will be replaced with a brand new 20-story tower and will house 79 courtrooms. It will also feature an improved layout for courthouse agencies. Officials said security will also be tighter, and the new building will come equipped with emergency generators and 14 new elevators. A new 500 car parking garage will also be included.

Construction on the 750,000-square-foot building will start this fall. Officials said the total cost will be $213 million and the expected completion date will be summer 2015.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)