The 11-story building would be accented by colored glass and multiple windows.

HOK's plans for the 250,000-to 300,000-square-foot facility call for the lower floors to be open and airy, with secure areas on the upper floors for offices.

According to HOK Tampa Managing Principal Duncan Broyd, the environmental features of the building could amount to "a 40% energy savings."

"It looks like a beautiful project. We really need it, and it is exciting that it will be a LEED building," Commissioner Katy Sorenson said at a Miami-Dade County Commission meeting.

Source: "Construction of New Children's Courthouse Slated for 2008," Miami Today, July 27, 2006, by Charlotte Libov.