Capitol makeover moves Gov. DeSantis administration to temporary digs

Amid ongoing renovations to the Capitol, employees of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office have moved out of their offices there to a spot near the Governor’s Mansion until the work is completed.

The move took place two weeks ago. The renovations on the Governor’s wing of the Plaza Level, the entrance floor of the Capitol, aren’t expected to be completed until the end of the year, a DeSantis spokesman confirmed. At the latest, employees will return before the start of the next Regular Session, which begins March 4, 2025.

Employees in Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Department of Legal Affairs, who occupy the same side of the Plaza Level, have also been temporarily displaced.

The renovations are part of a planned refurbishing of the Capitol, which was built in the 1970s. Improvements to the other side of the Plaza Level, which houses the Agriculture Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer offices have already been completed.

The ongoing work consists of replacing windows and the HVAC, the east entrance security vestibule and the makeover of Waller Park, the side of the Capitol facing the Florida Supreme Court on the west side.

According to the Department of Management Services, lawmakers approved $61 million for the new windows, $108 million for the HVAC, $13.4 million for the eastern entrance and $53 million for Waller Park.

The projects are being done in phases, with some work suspended while the Legislature is in Session and most of the work scheduled for the Summer and non-Session months. Construction barriers and signs now funnel visitors to the Capitol’s west entrance, where Waller Park renovations had previously blocked off pedestrians for the last few years.

Construction around the east and west entrances isn’t expected to be completed until 2025; the HVAC is expected to be finished in 2026 and the complete replacement of the windows is slated to be done by 2028.