Video Shows Flooding Inside Federal Courthouse In Ft. Lauderdale
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - It is rare that we get to see inside the U.S. Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale but cell phone video taken by an employee shows what one federal judge told CBS 4 News is an ongoing issue of major water leaks.
The video was taken after a significant rainfall on May 14 and shows water cascading from the ceiling, ceiling tiles in pieces on the floor and buckets and trashcans in a courtroom collecting water.
The video comes as no surprise to Broward County Commissioner Martin Kiar, who sits on a task force working to have a new courthouse built in Broward.
"It just shows how much in poor shape this courthouse is," Kiar told CBS 4's Carey Codd. "You have severe water damage in the courthouse. There's a lot of health and safety concerns to the judges and lawyers practicing there."
Chief Federal Judge Donald Graham sent a letter to federal officials with the General Services Administration (GSA) on Wednesday informing them of this video and saying it depicted the worst flooding of years of water leaks inside the courthouse. The judge also said federal officials were told of the problems a long time ago and should have corrected them before all this flooding occurred.
Commissioner Kiar said he's seen mold in the courthouse and the video makes him concerned for the safety of those working and visiting the courthouse.
"What really gives me grave concern is imagine if there was a court case going on and the roof caved in," Kiar said. "I mean it is really a health and safety issue."
One of the judges told CBS 4 News they've been informed that work to repair the leaks should be completed by February. The judge said with the rainy season descending on us waiting until February is unacceptable.
In Graham's letter to the GSA he was even more blunt writing, "I urge you to do whatever possible to advance the schedule so that we do not have to endure another nine months of rain inside the Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse."
Kiar said the task force is working with Congress to try and get a new courthouse built and he said Broward is 8th on the list for a new facility. Kiar said a new facility would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
A spokesperson with the GSA said in a statement, "There is an ongoing project to fix the leaks at the U.S. Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale and recent rain storms have contributed to the issues at the facility. GSA has taken steps to improve conditions at the building and will soon begin additional repair work."
