After a false start on its county courthouse project, the city of Jacksonville selected a new team to build its new Duval County Criminal Courts Facility project. The city chose a joint venture of The Auchter Co. and Perry-McCall Construction, both of Jacksonville, to lead the construction.

The joint venture is working in association with Jacksonville-based Rink Design Partnership and DLR Group of Orlando to build the new facility. The courthouse is the last major building project originally included as part of the city's Better Jacksonville Plan, and was originally allotted $190 million for the entire project through the BJP.

Shortly after the BJP was adopted in 2000, Cannon Design won a national competition with its traditional design for a five-story building. Subsequently, a team led by Skanska USA Building had been awarded a construction management contract, and in fall of 2004, it provided the city a guaranteed maximum price for construction of more than $225 million. That estimate brought the city's total cost to nearly $300 million, and caused then-new Mayor John Peyton to cancel the existing contracts and start over.

This time, the city and the design and construction firms will utilize the design/build delivery method. Kevin Simmons, marketing and communications officer with Perry-McCall, said the team would first seek to fully analyze the needs of the city and its users before establishing a design.

Simmons said the next year would be dedicated to design and pricing, and that construction was slated to begin in the second half of 2007.

Florida Contract Activity Continues Decline

The volume of Florida's construction contract activity continued to decline through August, as McGraw-Hill Construction reported the value of contracts for future construction declined by 18 percent during the month, compared to the same period of a year ago. That report comes on the heels of major declines in June and July as well. For August, the total value of new contracts totaled nearly $5.3 billion, down from the $6.4 billion reported last August.

The state's biggest sector, residential, continued to retrench, with its August total of nearly $3.6 billion down by 24 percent compared to last August. The value of nonbuilding construction contracts - which includes roads, bridges and water infrastructure - also dropped, by 17 percent, to total approximately $668.9 million for the month. There was some good news in the nonresidential sector, however, as activity there increased by 10 percent over last August to total slightly more than $1 billion.

For the year-to-date, Florida contract activity is now estimated at about $44.7 billion, or 7 percent behind the nearly $48 billion reported through the first eight months of 2005. The nonresidential category is now 10 percent ahead of 2005, with about $8.5 billion of activity so far this year. The residential market, with a $31.8 billion total, is now 10 percent behind 2005's pace. Nonbuilding construction is also negative, 13 percent behind last year's pace, with a nearly $4.4 billion total.

Archer Western Wins $94M Project in Pinellas County

The Florida Department of Transportation awarded Archer Western Contractors of Jacksonville a nearly $94 million contract to reconstruct approximately 1.2 mi. of S.R. 55/U.S. Highway 19 in Pinellas County, the McGraw-Hill Construction Network reported. Work was scheduled to begin in September. The schedule allowed for 955 contract days.

Heery Intenational to Provide Program Management of UM Medical Center Project

Atlanta-based Heery International has been selected to provide program management services for the University of Miami's $459 million medical center project. According to Heery, groundbreaking for the 14-story, 850,000-sq.-ft. facility, to be located on the university's campus, is planned for spring 2007, with completion targeted for late 2010.

The new facility will combine the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital. The hospital and clinic center includes 144 beds, 12 operating rooms, four intervention labs, four MRI suites, four CT scan suites and two PET scanners.

Moss & Associates Tops Off Downtown Dadeland

In July, Fort Lauderdale-based Moss & Associates topped off Downtown Dadeland, the seven-building residential and retail complex in Kendall. The company is moving toward a March 2007 completion. Gulfside Development and the Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund are the project's developers.

The 1.45 million-sq.-ft. development includes 125,000 sq. ft. of ground-level retail and restaurant space, 416 residential condominiums, and a two-story underground parking garage with space for 1,000 vehicles.

Adache Group Named Architect for $800M InterContinental Resort

Fort Lauderdale-based Adache Group Architects has been chosen to design the $800 million InterContinental Resort & Residences Orlando at Palazzo del Lago. When complete in 2009, the resort will reportedly feature the largest InterContinental hotel in the world.

The hotel will feature 1,260 hotel rooms and suites, of which 585 will be sold as condo-hotel units. Plans also call for 994 resort condominiums in five separate towers. It will also feature 114,000 sq. ft. of convention, meeting and banquet space.

The project is being developed by Hospitality Development Group of Fort Lauderdale. The hotel and hotel-condominium residences will be managed by IHG Management, an affiliate of InterContinental Hotels Group companies.

Scott Partnership Building New FC&PA HQ

The Scott Partnership Architecture and Interiors of Orlando is working on the design and construction for the Florida Concrete and Products Association's new headquarters building in Orlando. The 11,000-sq.-ft., two-story office building will be Silver LEED certified.

The Scott Partnership Architecture is providing construction management and leading the design-build delivery of the project. Construction was set to begin in December 2006 and the project is scheduled to be completed in May 2007.

Largest-ever Conservation Land Purchase Could Lead to New City

The law firms of White & Case and Akerman Senterfitt recently announced the closing of the sale of the Babcock Florida Co., which owns the Babcock Ranch in Southwest Florida. West Palm Beach developer Syd Kitson, through a joint venture between his company, Kitson & Partners, and Evergreen Partners and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund, agreed to acquire Babcock Florida, owner of 92,000 acres in Charlotte and Lee counties.

As part of the transaction, the buyers arranged to sell approximately 74,000 acres of the land to the state of Florida and Lee County for $350 million, marking the state's largest-ever conservation land purchase, the firms stated.

On the remaining 17,000 acres, the purchasing entity intends to develop a new city which will include nearly 18,000 residences, offices, schools and approximately 150,000 sq. ft. of space allocated for government and civic uses.

Florida's acquisition of Babcock Ranch will complete a natural land corridor from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

According to the announcement, with the transaction, the state will acquire a working ranch on the property that will remain in operation. The land will be accessible to the public for camping, biking, horseback riding, cabins and other outdoor recreational activities.

Developer to Transform South Beach Apartment into Hotel

New York-based Morgans Hotel Group announced in August that it had formed a joint venture and had purchased an apartment on Biscayne Bay in South Beach that it will renovate into a hotel operated under MHG's Mondrian brand. The property is the company's fourth announced Mondrian.

The 16-story property will feature approximately 342 units, including four penthouse suites.

The joint venture, between MHG and an affiliate of Hudson Capital, acquired the existing land and property for a reported $110 million, and expected to spend approximately $60 million on renovations.

Roger B. Kennedy Selected for Pair of Apartment Projects

Roger B. Kennedy of Altamonte Springs was selected by Bella Via at Port Charlotte LLC of Heathrow to build Bella Via, a condominium community in Port Charlotte. The $30.3 million project consists of 26 two-story buildings and a clubhouse, for a total of 327,000 sq. ft. Completion is scheduled for September 2008.

Also in Port Charlotte, Roger B. Kennedy has contracted with Charleston Cay Ltd. of Heathrow to build a new affordable rental housing community. The $9.6 million Charleston Cay apartment project will include 13 two-story buildings and a clubhouse totaling 142,000 sq. ft. Completion is scheduled for May 2007.

Charlotte Co. Rebuilding Elementary Schools Lost to Charley

Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. of Fort Myers was selected as construction manager for three Charlotte County Public School district replacement elementary schools. The contract includes services to replace East, Peace River and Neil Armstrong elementary schools, all of which were lost to Hurricane Charley.

Construction was slated to start this past September, with completion scheduled for next September.

Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue Designs 'Green' Activity Center

Dorsky Hodgson Parrish Yue of Fort Lauderdale is designing the planned Coconut Creek Regional Activity Center as an energy-efficient development. Located in the city of Coconut Creek's proposed downtown, the 28-acre complex will include a 254,000-sq.-ft. open-air regional shopping and entertainment district, 50,000 sq. ft. of offices and 456 residential units.

The firm indicated the project will be one of South Florida's first major private developments to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design criteria developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Brown-Hill Development, LLC/Stanbery Development is developing the project in keeping with the city's "green and sustainable" Main Street design standards.

H.J. High Building Brandon Worship Center

H.J. High Construction Co. of Orlando is serving as construction manager for the 3,000-seat Bell Shoals Baptist Church Worship Center in Brandon. The 80,000-sq.-ft. facility includes the worship center, choir rehearsal space, office space and classrooms.

STH Architectural Group of West Palm Beach is the project architect. The project is targeted for completion in late 2007.