Federal Courthouse Needs Lengthy Repairs, Inspectors Say

Tampa Tribune

February 14, 2008

By CHRIS ECHEGARAY

TAMPA - A federal agency is conducting a four-month inspection of the 17-story federal courthouse in downtown Tampa, which has been plagued by leaks and mold since opening a decade ago.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Wednesday that the General Services Administration began its inspection a month ago to identify fixes for what it terms a multitude of issues at the $81 million Sam M. Gibbons Federal Courthouse.

Nelson said the agency expects repair work to take two years.

Water tests in windows on the 12th floor led to leaks six floors below, according to a Nelson staff member whose office is in the building.

"I want to know if there was shoddy workmanship by any of the contractors, and what's going to be done about it," Nelson said in a letter to the General Services Administration on Wednesday.

An environmental report six years ago found that employees at the 363,000-square-foot building on North Florida Avenue were three times more likely to have adult onset asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

Also, courthouse employees reported nearly five times as many cases than average of sick building syndrome - an illness characterized by headaches, dizziness, runny nose and itchy eyes.

An environmental assessment on the problems was filed with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in 2001. By 2005, however, the GSA reported such complaints had subsided.

Courthouse construction was finished in 1997. A year later, a pressure control valve was set improperly, dumping gallons of water that spilled onto eight floors.

The building is named for Gibbons, a native of Tampa who served 34 years in Congress. Its 17 stories are symbolic of the 17 consecutive terms Gibbons served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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