Sunday Spotlight: Where to put Florence County's courts

Michelle Tindall, left, of the Florence County Solicitor's office, tries to direct people in the right direction for General Sessions Court Tuesday morning in the crowded 11th floor at the City-County Complex in Florence. A committe, made up partly of judges, has been formed and is exploring how much space will be needed, and how much a new judicial complex might cost to alleviate the overcrowding.

By: Charles Tomlinson | SCNow
Published: August 28, 2008

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Some Florence County and local court officials are wondering why building a free-standing judicial center across from the Florence City-County Complex wasn’t presented as an option for new, more secure county judicial facilities.

The three options, presented by Southern Management Group’s Tom Baldwin, range from $21.8 million and $41 million.

The least costly of the options would be to place two criminal circuit courts in Effingham. Several officials say that’s not feasible, however, because they think the state’s constitution requires a petition and then approval of a referendum before such a change can be made.

The most expensive proposal would be to build a free-standing judicial center, while the middle option calls for an annex to the Florence City-County Complex.

Learn more about the need for more judicial space and what each option has going for it, and against it, in Sunday's Morning News and online here at scnow.com.