Former Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry cuts the ribbon, along with other dignities, during dedication of the new Seminole County Courthouse Annex bearing his name. Seminole County Commission Chair Jay Zembower said the annex is part of a $65 million Five Points Project that will bring the courts, the court clerk, state attorney, and public defender closer to the people they serve. Perry thanked the commissioners for the honor, and said he hopes the new facility will also remind Floridians that a “free and independent judiciary” is vital to their way of life. 

The new, four-story, 104,000-square-foot, James E. C. Perry Courthouse Annex bears his name, but the retired Supreme Court justice sees it as a symbol of something much bigger.

“This honor exceeds the wildest dreams and expectations of my ancestors,” Perry, 80, told family and friends gathered for the dedication. “Never could I have imagined that Seminole County would have put my name on such a magnificent edifice.”