6/17/08 Groundbreaking Ceremony for Expansion of Capital Circle Office Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008
CONTACT: JAMES MILLER, (850) 921-5266
TALLAHASSEE - The Department of Management Services (DMS) Division of Real Estate Development and Management held a groundbreaking ceremony today for the latest expansion of the Capital Circle Office Center in SouthWood. The expansion features construction of three new energy-efficient buildings to house the Department of Revenue (DOR). Construction is slated to be completed by March 2010.
"It's our goal at the Department of Management Services to provide our agency partners with the best products, services and facilities enabling them to do their jobs efficiently and effectively," said DMS Secretary Linda H. South. "We also have a responsibility to be good stewards with our environment, and these new highly-efficient buildings ensure the Department of Revenue can fulfill its duties while conserving energy and natural resources."
Construction includes two five-story buildings and one two-story call center totaling approximately 474,000 square feet costing $114 million. The new office center consolidates 18 Department of Revenue locations currently housing 2,200 employees and reduces its current office occupancy space by 16 percent.
"This is a great opportunity for the Department of Revenue to become more efficient by moving to a location that allows us to consolidate our employees and resources," said DOR Executive Director Lisa Echeverri. "We are excited about being a part of the state's continuing commitment to energy efficiency and ensuring that our employees are in safe, quality and cost-effective buildings."
The buildings will achieve Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) certification. This is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. This certification means the buildings significantly reduce the electricity and water consumption. As part of its environmental design, no less than 40 percent of the existing landscape and open space is being preserved.
The DMS Division of Real Estate Development and Management operates and maintains more than 8 million gross square feet of state-owned buildings and is the state's operation and maintenance resource for state facilities. This square footage includes 35 Tallahassee facilities and associated grounds, plus 21 regional service centers across the state.
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