In a 3-2 vote today, the Santa Rosa County Commission made a final decision on the location of the new judicial center, a project 20 years in the making. Despite protests from Commissioner Bob Cole and a couple residents of the south end of the county, the new judicial center will be located in downtown Milton. The next problem will be its funding.
Almost immediately after getting to the courthouse item on the agenda today, Commissioner Rob Williamson moved to select the downtown Milton site as the location for the future judicial center; Commissioner Jayer Williamson seconded.
Commissioner Cole steadfastly held to what he felt were problematic aspects of the location: not all of the needed parcels yet under contract with the city, parking in the flood zone, traffic, and more. Just before the vote, he asked if any commissioner had a “good sound reason” to put the new judicial center downtown, but got no response before the vote.
Ira Mae Bruce spoke suggesting the courthouse should be more centrally located. “It took me 30 minutes to come across the bridge,” she said, from the south end of the county.
The two who spoke after, Carolyn Hobb and Wilbert Courtney, both expressed a desire for a local option sales tax (LOST) to only pay for the courthouse and for the BOCC to finally make a decision on the location.
Once the vote took place, the City of Milton released a statement thanking the BOCC, “for their recognition of the importance of the Courthouse in our downtown area.” The city continued to say: The City of Milton would like to thank the County Board for their decision today to site the future courthouse where the citizens of Santa Rosa County have always known it should be. That decision follows two years of work tasked to the members of the city’s Courthouse Committee by the previous mayor. Those members include Co-Chairs Matthew Hargraves and Bradley G. Johnson, Melissa Odom, Doug Whitfield, Steve Williams, Clyde Anderson, Rhonda Chavers, Jay Dickson, Keith Kilpatrick, Mike Lewis and Ed Fortune whose dauntless efforts culminated with today’s vote. The City also recognizes the leadership provided by its Council and their efforts to secure the property necessary to support the new judicial center. Council Member Jimmy Messick said, “This is a victory for the residents of Milton and the residents of all of Santa Rosa County. We will work tirelessly together with Santa Rosa County to ensure this important project moves on. ” The Council's recognition of the importance of the courthouse in our downtown area cannot be measured by one act but rather the lasting impact it will have for generations to come. Messick went on to recognize his peers: Ashley Lay, Mary Ellen Johnson, Patsy Lunsford, Grady Hester, Alan Lowery, Lloyd Hinote, R. L. Lewis and the former Ward III Councilwoman Marilyn Jones.
City Planner Randy Jorgenson said, “I’m elated. I think the leadership of Santa Rosa County has made a decision following the years of investigation that will be a benefit to the residents of the entire county.”
Commission Chairman Lane Lynchard said, “This is a big step for Santa Rosa County. The next step is going to be trying to secure a funding source. We’re going to talk about that in April. We’re proposing a (LOST) that will fund our courthouse, the construction of the judicial facility.”
Lynchard noted everyone has different opinions about where the new judicial facility should be located as reflected by the vote, nor is there a perfect spot, “but hopefully us as a board can come together with a unified voice and move forward and make the case to the residents of Santa Rosa County that a new courthouse is in desperate need.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Courthouse location: downtown Milton