New PGAL-Designed Headquarters for Broward County Supervisor of Elections Opens

A new headquarters for the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and the Supervisor of Elections has opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Designed by PGAL, the 155,000-square-foot state of the art facility is a renovation of an existing 60,000 square-foot four-story office building and atrium, with the addition of a new 95,000-square-foot operations center.

The $103 million facility integrates advanced technology and security to enhance the community’s electoral process. The building provides enhanced transparency into the election process with a secured Canvasing Board Atrium affording direct views into the Vote Tabulation Room.

Accessible to the public, the secured atrium features a large video display to monitor election activities and broadcasts. The unique Transparency Corridor encircles the entire operations area, with multiple viewing windows for direct observation of the entire ballot production and processing activities.

Designed for resilience and sustainability, the building structure has been hardened to resist damage from severe hurricanes and is equipped with multiple generators to fully maintain operations during power outages. The operations center roof will be equipped with a large photovoltaic panel array, which is expected to generate approximately 25% of the facility’s annual energy usage. The building is projected to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“PGAL worked closely with Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott to study and take lessons learned from two of the nation’s newest facilities - King County, Washington and Maricopa County, Arizona - to create a facility which will become the model for elections transparency,” says PGAL Principal Sam Ferreri, AIA.