BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
GREEN COVE SPRINGS— Clay County officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for renovations at the county’s historic courthouse in Green Cove Springs.
County Commissioner Kristen Burke said the 1890 structure is one of only four Florida courthouses built before 1900.
She added that the land for the courthouse was donated to the county in 1889 by the Borden family, who operated a nearby dairy. The two-story, red brick structure took two years to complete for $13,215. In 1975, the courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Interior renovations to the structure were completed in 2005.
“The building inside was taken down to the studs literally,” Burke said of the interior work.
The just-completed renovation project began last year and was funded by $250,000 in state grants along with a $50,000 match from the county.
It included a roof replacement, the addition of a structural beam and other exterior improvements.
Clerk of Court and Comptroller Tara Green said the second-floor courtroom is home to the county’s teen court.
“This is a nationally acclaimed diversion program,” she said. “Clay County’s teen court is literally the best of the best. Twice our students have won state mock trial competitions.”
She added that the program consists of a team of adult volunteers who work with youth between the ages of 10 and 17 using a peer jury model.
“Yes, the students are the defendants, but they are also the attorneys, the bailiffs, the clerks and jurors as well,” she said.
Clay County Public Schools Chief of Staff Kelly Watt discussed partnerships between the school district and the clerk’s office.
She said the district created a Clay history project that ensures all students leaving middle school know their community’s history.
“We want students to realize that history doesn’t just happen everywhere else,” she said. It happened here too.”
Watt added that the clerk’s office also has partnered with the district in creating a curriculum to educate high school seniors about serving on juries.
After the ceremony, officials invited the audience on a walking tour of the property. However, access to the second-floor historic courtroom was limited due to a broken elevator.
