Why waterfront was chosen for jail in 1970s
Here is a little insight into what people were thinking in 1979 when the County Commission decided to build its “new” jail downtown on the banks of the New River.
In 1978, Broward County voters approved a General Obligation Bond Issue for $317 million to undertake what, at that time, was a massive program of much needed public improvements for fastgrowing Broward County. Among those improvements was a new jail whose urgency was pressured by a federal lawsuit due to overcrowding in the old jail which, at the time, was part of the Courthouse Complex.
In 1979, the County Commission initiated plans to launch the bond issue projects, which included transportation, parks, libraries, a fire training academy and the new jail. A task force for the new jail project was set up and included the chief judge, state attorney, public defender, clerk of court, sheriff and two county commissioners.
As one of those county commissioners, I advocated that the county consider separating the criminal courts and the civil courts into separate venues as had been successfully done in Miami-Dade County. This would have allowed the creation of a separate criminal justice campus to include the criminal courts, the jail, probation and other related offices, and the offices for the state attorney, public defender and the sheriff. My suggestion was that we consider the old Fort Lauderdale drive-in movie theater, a site that many years later was in fact developed to house BSO alone.
That idea was soundly rejected by the other members of the task force and the plans went forward on the design of the current jail facility. Many lawyers and judges objected to the idea of a separate campus and favored siting the new jail next to the Courthouse. It was also argued that this would save money by avoiding the transport of inmates from a remote location to court. This “new” jail on the New River became known as the “Hooker Hilton” and has been criticized as an eyesore since its construction.
As an afterthought, at a minimum, we should convert the large blank wall that faces the river into a giant mural or work of art.
George Platt