Staff Reports
Work on the Senate side-grounds of the Florida Capitol and its underground parking garage is nearing an end after the garage was first closed in May 2016.
It was shut down when its primary support girder showed signs of stress after years of water intrusion.
“Structural work inside the Senate parking garage was completed last year, and crews are finishing the installation of lights and fire suppression equipment,” said Nina Ashley, spokeswoman for the Department of Management Services, the state’s real estate manager.
(Ashley clarified later Monday, however, that work on the House side above ground and on its parking garage is still “in the early stages.”)
Crews have been focused for the last several months on waterproofing the structure. Earlier this year, crews completed waterproofing the vertical surfaces down to 30 feet.
“That process took several months and included installing sheet piles, excavating soil, preparing the surfaces, waterproofing, installing drainage at the foundation, and re-filling the excavated areas,” Ashley said in an email.
Crews are now working on waterproofing the horizontal upper levels of the garage and installing the “hardscape” and landscape features that will be included in the park above and outside the garage. The hardscape will includes benches with trellises, and the landscaping on the garage will include light grasses. Lighting is also being installed.
Final landscape and hardscape work will continue through the summer, with the Senate garage scheduled to re-open in August, Ashley said.
That garage, in continuous use since 1978, was shut down “in an abundance of caution,” officials then said. That meant 210 spaces were no longer available for use, with senators and staffers shunted to other state garages and surface lots downtown.
The original waterproofing, which contained coal tar pitch, had degraded over the years and was letting in water. Structural engineers then saw “an accelerated deterioration” of parts of the garage.
Throughout late 2016, workers installed shoring for structural stability and removed trees and roughly 6,000 tons of dirt—5,200 on the Senate and 900 on the House—from the Capitol’s grounds.
The remediation has been part of a larger effort to renovate the Capitol grounds.
“When it’s over, the plaza will have fewer trees, more space for memorials and shady spots to sit and relax, and better public access,” the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
