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Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse facts for kids

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Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse
JaxFederalCourthouse.jpg
General information
Status Complete
Type Judicial & Office
Location 300 North Hogan Street, Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Coordinates 30°19′45″N 81°39′36″W / 30.32909°N 81.65997°W / 30.32909; -81.65997
Construction started 1999
Estimated completion 2002
Opening 2003
Cost $84 million
Owner General Services Administration - Jacksonville
Height
Roof 277 feet (85 m)
Top floor 14
Technical details
Floor count 14
Floor area 457,000 sq ft (42,500 m2)
Design and construction
Architect HLM Design
KBJ Architects
Main contractor Skanska

The Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse is an important building in Jacksonville, Florida. It is where many parts of the U.S. federal government work. This courthouse helps make sure laws are followed. It also helps solve disagreements in a fair way.

What Happens Inside the Courthouse?

This building is home to several important groups. They all help with legal matters and keeping things fair.

  • The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida handles big legal cases for central Florida.
  • The United States bankruptcy court helps people and businesses with money problems.
  • The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida works for the government in legal cases.
  • A special office for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is also here. This court reviews decisions from lower courts.
  • Other offices like U.S. Probation and U.S. Marshals Service also work from this building. They help with things like supervising people on probation and keeping order.

Why Was a New Courthouse Built?

The Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse was finished in late 2002. It cost about $84 million to build. The building officially opened in early 2003.

It was built to replace an older courthouse from 1933. That old building had many problems. For example, it had issues with air quality and even mold. These problems sometimes made people inside the building feel sick. The new courthouse was designed to be a much healthier and safer place to work.

How Big is the Building?

This modern courthouse is quite large. It has 14 floors and covers about 492,000 square feet. That's a lot of space for all the different courtrooms and offices! There is also a secure parking area in the basement for safety.

Who Was Bryan Simpson?

The courthouse is named after a very important person, John Milton Bryan Simpson. He was a federal judge who worked in Florida for many years. He served in several different important legal roles.

The idea to name the courthouse after him came from Bill Nelson, who was a U.S. Senator for Florida at the time. An act of Congress was passed to make the naming official. The courthouse was formally dedicated and given its name on August 11, 2008.

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