The mayor of Milton went to Gulf Breeze Thursday night to discuss the advantages of keeping the Santa Rosa County judicial center in its current location. A press conference was held at Tiger Point Park meeting room. Mayor Wesley Meiss and City Councilwoman Ashley Lay provided talking points in discussion of keeping the courthouse in downtown Milton. The primary issues the city emphasized were the importance of passing the local option one cent sales tax on November 4 and highlighting misconceptions about building the judicial center in the downtown courthouse complex.
“All roads lead to Milton,” said Meiss, marking the importance of keeping the courthouse in downtown.
Meiss described parking a non-issue, and said there are 747 spaces to park rather than just the contracted 225 new parking spaces which would be built along with the new judicial center. In regards to the city’s portion of the local option sales tax, by Florida statute, municipalities within the county, Gulf Breeze, City of Milton, and Town of Jay will receive a portion of the sales tax. Milton voted to give 50 percent back to the county to pay for building the courthouse. Meiss pointed out with 50 percent of the monies coming to the city through the local option sales tax is pledged to the county for courthouse construction it is the most cost effective location option.
"The City of Milton will be putting in that $1.85 million into it. We pledged that money from the local options sales tax. That's going to be huge to offset the costs and making it the cheapest site.”
Meiss said the courthouse is important to the city’s economy, providing 266 courthouse jobs that if the judicial center were to move would go to another site, plus those jobs following judicial business such as court reporters and attorney offices.
“Loss of those jobs will impact the city,” said Meiss.
City Councilwoman Lay pointed out facts regarding room to grow within the city.
“The ten acres available to the city will provide room to grow,” said Lay. “The old courthouse can be refurbished after the new center is built, providing more area,” she said.
Mayor Meiss said the 1927 courthouse is the third judicial center in Santa Rosa County. “The first was built in 1844 in downtown. It is the traditional county seat. The courthouse lawn was where our World War I soldiers stood before they were sent off to a European theater,” he said. Meiss explained the courthouse lawn was where Roosevelt’s New Deal was explained to Santa Rosans and currently is where citizens come to pray on the National Day of Prayer.
Milton City Planner Randy Jorgenson added the original 1927 courthouse is a federally protected historical structure. Questions raised during the meeting about the adjoining properties’ availability and the cost of acquiring those acres were answered by Jorgenson who said the properties have spent “some time on the real estate market,” and the city expects to receive a fair price when needed. Jorgenson also said the city has a relationship with NAI Halford who is currently assisting Milton in making those purchases.
In relation to the 322 existing public parking spaces eventually being metered by the city, Jorgenson spoke for the council and said current leadership has not suggested metered parking and isn’t interested in doing so.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Mayor Meiss stresses need to keep courthouse downtown