Rooney Beats Out Rivals for $50-Mil Jail Job

ORLANDO-In the final vote, it came down to a track record and Fort Lauderdale, FL-based Centex Rooney Construction Co. had the credentials for the $50-million contract. Orange County commissioners gave the job to the Orlando division of Centex Rooney, which will design and build the medical and mental health facility part of the planned $120-million, 1,600-bed expansion at the 22-year-old county jail at John Young Parkway and Interstate 4. The work will take five years to finish.

Runnersup for the contract was the joint venture team of Welbro-Jennings and the Orlando office of New York-based Turner Construction Co. The jail’s original inmate capacity was 3,000. The complex currently holds 4,300. The 75-year-old Centex Rooney organization has built correctional facilities throughout the country.