A new courthouse

Regarding the Feb. 18 article In Miami-Dade’s courthouse debate, a rift over empty courtrooms: It’s alarming that the county is considering spending more than $350 million for a new civil courthouse, particularly when residents overwhelmingly voted against it, and courtrooms are empty most afternoons.

Civil judges rarely use courtrooms, so building private courtrooms is a waste of our limited resources. Scheduling courtroom cases in the afternoons would be a reasonable option and would also benefit resident because parking and roadway accessibility downtown is easier in the afternoons.

Maria Luisa Castellanos, the only task-force member who refused to endorse the building of a new courthouse without an adequate analysis of the current facility and other options, is the taxpayers’ hero. Too often, appointed task-force members are too busy (or distracted) to perform an objective and thorough analysis and just quickly pick the easiest solution.

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 8:31 PM with the headline "A new courthouse."