New courthouse to feature enhanced security, more parking

CRESTVIEW — Construction of the new Okaloosa County Courthouse is on track for a late-July opening.

The courthouse was originally scheduled to be complete by July 3 but inclement weather last fall pushed the contract end date to July 29.

Jason Autrey, director of Okaloosa County Public Works, said that while the building may be open by July 29 , it could take more time before the courthouse is fully operational.

“We’re (going to) have about two, two and a half months of making sure the building is operating correctly,” Autrey said. “I would expect us to have full operation in October.”

One of the major features of the new courthouse will be enhanced security measures to keep inmates separated from judges and the public. Inmates will arrive at the facility through a separate entrance from the public, and will be secured at all times until they reach the courtroom.

“The inmates come into an area," Autrey said. "They never mix with the public, they never mix with the judges, they’re completely separated."

In the old courthouse, inmates would enter the building through the same entrance as the victims and judges. That presented a security concern now resolved in the new courthouse design.

“It takes advantage of the best management practices that we have available to us,” Autrey said. “Security is probably our most state-of-the-art component.”

The evidence storage room also has enhanced security features. In the event of a fire, the room will be sealed and a fire suppression system will remove all oxygen from the room, eliminating the need to fight the fire with water, which could damage evidence.

Along with the courtrooms and judiciary offices, the courthouse will host the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners when it meets in the north end of the county. It will also feature an electronic law library located adjacent to the first-floor lobby.

“A lot of the information now, since it changes so fast, as opposed to having volumes of books, you just put it on the internet,” Autrey said. “They’ll have a kiosk so they can access it there.”

The new building will also include a fourth courtroom and judges’ chambers, after county commissioners voted to approve the addition in November of 2017. The board approved other smaller changes at the time, adding more than $500,000 in expenses to the project. However, the current cost is still within the original $23.7 million budget.

When it opens, the courthouse will be greater than 50 percent larger than the old courthouse with 20 additional parking spaces.

“It’s really nice,” Autrey said. “It’s functional; it’s a very efficient use of space. It’ll serve the needs, what we need for 50-plus years to come.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New courthouse to feature enhanced security, more parking