5B Broward sick-building complaints spread

Employees fear more health hazards

The scope of Broward County’s sick-building problems expanded Tuesday, as employees in the county courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale said that even the portions of the court complex that are not slated for demolition are unsuitable for working.

They asked to be moved out.

In addition, employees and two county commissioners said Tuesday that other county buildings also may harbor health hazards and want something done about it.

The topic has overtaken County Commission meetings for the second week running, as Commissioner Mark Bogen provided an unusually public forum to air a potentially costly county problem.

A class-action lawsuit brought by sick employees — alleging exposure to asbestos and toxic mold — helped prompt the county to build a new courthouse. But its opening is more than a year late. There is no estimated opening date for the tower, although it received a certificate of occupancy from the city of Fort Lauderdale six weeks ago.

A state prosecutor Tuesday joined the chorus of employees alleging the county courthouse made them sick.

“I’m scared, I’m angry. There’s nothing you can do other than get people out,” assistant state attorney Ellen St. Laurent said to county commissioners Tuesday. St. Laurent is working from a cubicle in private office space across the street now but said she was pleading for her colleagues.

“My doctor told me, ‘Stay out of that building,’” she said.

Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry confirmed at Tuesday’s meeting that her staff is investigating air quality issues in parts of the courthouse that will not be torn down and will continue to be used by employees of the State Attorney’s Office and other entities. They’re slated for renovations.

“We’re looking at all of them,” Henry said of the courthouse wings.

The central portion of the courthouse where the public’s main entrance sits on Southeast Sixth Street will be torn down. But newer portions like the east wing on Southeast Third Avenue, and the north wing behind it, will remain in use. The new tower is on the west end of the block, nearer Andrews Avenue.

An employee who works in the east courthouse wing said Tuesday that she, 16 other attorneys and 10 support staff in the state attorney’s sex crimes unit are all sick. She had to pause for a brief but deep cough.

Bogen said he will “not stop” until county employees are held accountable. He suggested employees ignored or covered up hazardous conditions.

“There’s a department and maybe more people that work for this county that have failed us,” he said. “I’m getting outraged by what they’ve known for years and what they have failed to do proactively.”

Henry’s staff said last week that each complaint has been investigated.

The county has hired a company, AirQuest Environmental, to provide “a plan of proactive steps” and plans to also hire Salazar Consulting Group to review what the county’s doing to address air quality concerns, Henry wrote in an Oct. 21 letter to Broward State Attorney Mike Satz.

The county also has begun close monitoring of courthouse conditions and is consulting with outside agencies about what to do, commissioners were advised in an email from Alphonso Jefferson, assistant county administrator. He said in the email that work to remove the mold began Tuesday and work to seal, clean and decontaminate the air conditioning system begins Wednesday.

Bogen’s accusations were bolstered Tuesday by Monica Hofheinz, executive director of the Broward State Attorney’s Office, who said employees continue to suffer illnesses despite years of complaints to Broward County, which is responsible for the building. The alleged inaction prompted Satz to ask Bogen for help earlier this month.

Property Appraiser Lori Parrish also backed up Bogen’s claims Tuesday, telling commissioners that when she complained about sick employees in her government center offices several years ago, county staff “told me there was nothing wrong.” She said she hired her own expert, who found “mold, feces and a variety of things in our ceilings.” She said the county then sent people in hazmat suits to clean it.

Commissioner Lois Wexler complained that the county hasn’t properly maintained its buildings. She asked Henry to provide plans for proactive maintenance, and a price tag, saying she’d vote to approve it.