From the Capitol

Posted on by Sarah Harris
The dog days of summer are here with record high temperatures experienced throughout our state.  We hope you are staying cool! If you feel like you are overheating, follow these tips: Drink cool liquids, go somewhere with cooler air, get in cool water, apply cold to key points on the body, move less.     CAPITOL COMPLEX UPDATE    With the Legislature having completed its work for the 2023 Session, there has been a lot of activity around the Capitol Building and Capitol Complex. 
Since 2021, the Florida Department of Management Services has been working to improve the west entrance of the main capitol building (Waller Park). The goal is to make the entrance more accessible and to add more greenspace. The project was expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2023 Legislative Session, but work is still under way. The Tallahassee firm of Lewis + Whitlock are overseeing the renovation.  

In addition to Waller Park, the footprint of the Capitol Complex is expanding to include the Holland and Elliot buildings and the R.A. Gray Building. The Elliot Building will be torn down to create a new park for memorials, including the Florida Veterans’ Walk of Honor and Florida Veterans’ Memorial Garden, the Florida Holocaust Memorial, the Florida Slavery Memorial, the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys Memorial, and a Beirut Monument.     The renovations of the parking garages beneath the Senate and House Office Buildings are complete and the stately oak trees surrounding the Capitol Complex were removed this summer.      We will show photos of the renovations as they near completion in future editions of this eNewsletter. Stay tuned!