ORLANDO—In a significant milestone for the Central Florida legal community, S.A. Casey Construction has officially announced the completion of the full tenant build-out of the 13th floor at the Orange County Courthouse. The project marks a historic turning point for the facility, activating a massive “shell” space that had remained untouched since the skyscraper first opened its doors in 1997.
For nearly three decades, the 13th floor stood as an empty concrete expanse, a silent reminder of the building’s original “future-proofing” design. Today, that void has been transformed into a high-tech, vibrant hub for judicial activity, specifically engineered to meet the evolving demands of one of Florida’s busiest court circuits.
The project was a complex undertaking that required modernizing a space designed in a different era. Working alongside DLR Group, S.A. Casey Construction executed a design that prioritizes both judicial efficiency and public accessibility.
The build-out, encompassing approximately 13,872 square feet, includes:
- Five state-of-the-art courtrooms equipped with integrated digital evidence display systems.
- New hearing rooms designed for more intimate legal proceedings and mediation.
- Dedicated jury deliberation suites and judicial chambers that emphasize privacy and security.
The project aimed to not only improved the courthouse’s functionality and also optimize its space, ensuring that the courthouse can better serve the public and boost the efficiency of legal proceedings.
The transformation was not without its hurdles. During the construction phase, the team encountered significant logistical challenges involving the building’s post-tensioned concrete floors. The original 1997 structural cables prevented traditional core drilling for electrical floor boxes.
To solve this, S.A. Casey collaborated with the Ninth Judicial Circuit to implement raised flooring systems in the courtrooms. This innovative adjustment allowed for unrestricted flexibility in the placement of podiums and technology while ensuring the long-term reliability required for high-stakes legal proceedings.
Beyond the technical upgrades, the new 13th floor was designed to improve the atmosphere of the courthouse. The layout maximizes natural light, which floods the corridors and courtrooms, creating an inviting environment intended to reduce the inherent stress of legal environments for judges, attorneys, and the public alike.
With the 13th floor now fully operational, the Orange County Courthouse has significantly expanded its capacity to process cases, directly impacting the speed of justice for the local community. This completion follows S.A. Casey’s successful build-out of the 14th floor in 2022, effectively finalizing the activation of the tower’s upper-level shell spaces.
