Washington, DC – The Broward County Congressional Delegation, which includes Representatives Alcee Hastings (FL-20), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Ted Deutch (FL-21), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Lois Frankel (FL-22), today announced that construction of a new federal courthouse for Broward County has taken a major step forward with a decision by the Judicial Conference of the United States ranking the Southern District of Florida’s Fort Lauderdale federal courthouse third on the national Courthouse Project Priorities list. Historically, courthouses recommended by the Judicial Conference are included in the next President’s Budget.

Once the courthouse is in the President’s Budget, the General Services Administration (GSA) will send to Congress the prospectus of estimated costs. Next, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Frankel is a member, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, will need to authorize the courthouse, marking the last step before Congress can appropriate funding. Reps. Diaz-Balart and Wasserman Schultz are members of the House Appropriations Committee, which typically approves spending measures before they are voted on by the entire House. Assuming timely authorization and appropriation, site-selection, design, and construction can begin as soon as Fiscal Year 2018.

Local stakeholders and the Broward County Congressional Delegation have been pushing for a new federal courthouse for close to a decade. In response, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed a resolution in 2015, introduced by Rep. Frankel, requiring the GSA to conduct a study on the feasibility of building a new federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. GSA completed this study in May 2016, finding that a new publicly-funded courthouse is the best and most cost-effective solution. Following the study, the Judicial Conference of the United States, the federal court system’s national policymaking body, placed the courthouse on its national Courthouse Project Priorities list.

“Through the hard work of both the South Florida Congressional Delegation and our partners in the judiciary branch, the Fort Lauderdale federal courthouse project is taking an important step forward. I am very happy to hear that funding for a new federal courthouse will be recommended for inclusion in the next President’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget,” said Congressman Alcee L. Hastings. “Replacing this facility will allow the Southern District of Florida, one of the largest federal judicial districts in the country, to continue to operate safely and successfully.” 

“I am pleased that another hurdle has been cleared for the new federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. For the last several years, I have worked with my colleagues in the South Florida delegation to emphasize its necessity,” said Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart. “The current building is dilapidated and has not been able to properly serve our community for quite some time. I look forward to continue working with Representatives Frankel, Wasserman Schultz, Deutch, Hastings, and Wilson to see its construction through.”

“This is yet another critical step forward in our quest for a badly needed new Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “Our hard work as representatives of this community has paid off and I'm proud to continue working closely with my colleagues Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Alcee Hastings, Frederica Wilson and Mario Diaz-Balart to ensure that everyone in our community has a courthouse that is a safe and functional place to work which will make us all proud.”

“This announcement is welcome news to the South Florida community,” said Congressman Ted Deutch. “The priority ranking reflects our long-overdue need, and it brings us one step closer to getting a new federal courthouse.”

“Courthouses are where critical decisions are made and justice is served. Our constituents deserve a building that is safe, secure, and functional and I am proud to join my colleagues in the Florida delegation in the fight for a new federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale,” said Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson.

“Having a federal courthouse in Broward that is safe and secure where disputes can be resolved peacefully is an important component of our democracy and way of life,” Frankel said.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of the largest federal judicial districts in the country, spanning 15,000 square miles and serving 6.3 million people from nine counties. In 2015, nearly 9,000 civil cases were filed in this district, making it one of the busiest jurisdictions in the country. Plagued by mold, chronic roof leaks, persistent flooding, and significant space constraints, the 40-year-old building lacks basic structural safeguards to protect judges and courtroom personnel.

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