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Judges and staff for the First District Court of Appeal moved into their 50 million dollar courthouse on Friday and over the weekend, but their troubles are not over as lawmakers plan intense scrutiny over wasteful construction.

Monday was the first day the new 50 million dollar appellate court was open for business….sort of. Our initial calls to the court were met with this:

�Hold the line, and an operator will assist you shortly.�

When we arrived unannounced, the security guard at the front desk couldn�t reach anyone either. Finally, the court Marshall told us they were too busy getting settled to give us tour. Earlier this month we went through the unopened building with State Senator Mike Fasano. He says every tax payer in Florida should be concerned with the the opulence.�

�The judges have a bathroom in their chamber that is sound-proof,” Fasano said. “Now, why would we, the taxpayers, have to pay for a sound-proof bathroom within a judge�s chamber?”

Make no mistake, lawmakers funded the building in 2007. But Fasano says he will hold hearings in January over what he calls deceitful manipulation of the legislature.

�That building is going to actually cost the taxpayers, once those bonds are paid off in a 30 year period of time, it will actually cost over 70 million dollars of tax payer money,” Fasano said.

Powerful FSU Alumni also helped grease the money for the new courthouse.

The old courthouse is just 30 years old, and after some renovations, it will be part of the FSU law school.

Fasano had sought to delay the court�s move into the new building, but it was already in progress before he asked for the court to wait.

The Appeals court will hear its first case in the new courthouse in early January.