Orlando police shut down South Orange Avenue and evacuated City Hall on Monday after officials received a bomb threat targeting the downtown government building. Officers responded around 11 a.m. to the 400 block of South Orange Avenue, where Orlando City Hall has stood since 1992. They began clearing the structure as a precaution while the threat was investigated.
City officials confirmed that Orlando City Hall was evacuated following the reported bomb threat, according to WFTV. Orange Avenue near the building was closed off. At the same time, officers investigated, and people evacuated from City Hall were being directed across the street to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, per the outlet's reporting. WFTV reported that its sister station, Channel 9, had a crew headed to the scene and was working to learn more as the situation developed.
A Civic Hub Emptied Out
The evacuation displaced staff and visitors from a building that serves as the operational core of city government. Orlando City Hall houses the Mayor's office, the City Council Chambers on the second floor, and the Permitting Services Division on the first floor, according to the City of Orlando. The nine-story building at 400 South Orange Avenue stands 156 feet tall, cost $32 million to construct, and has served as the city's administrative hub since it opened in 1992, according to background compiled on Wikipedia.
The building forms part of the One City Commons government plaza, situated near the Orange County Administration Building at 201 South Rosalind Avenue, with both government hubs sharing major traffic corridors along Orange Avenue and South Street, per the same Wikipedia background. The evacuation site across the street, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, is a $613 million, two-block civic arts complex at 445 South Magnolia Avenue that opened its main phase in 2014.
A Building With a Dramatic Past
City Hall's history includes an unusual brush with Hollywood. The previous eight-story Orlando City Hall was imploded in a controlled demolition in October 1991, footage that was later used as the explosive opening scene of the 1992 film Lethal Weapon 3, according to Wikipedia's account of the building's history. Former Mayor Bill Frederick reportedly made a cameo appearance watching the building collapse during that filmed demolition.
Monday's threat comes as downtown Orlando has otherwise reported improving public safety trends. Overall crime in Downtown Orlando dropped 20% from January through July compared to the same period in prior years, according to figures reported by the Orlando Police Department, which has expanded specialized bike and foot patrol divisions in the area.
Steep Legal Stakes for Hoax Threats
Florida law treats false bomb reports with unusual severity. Under Section 790.163 of the Florida Statutes, making a false report about planting a bomb or explosive is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation, and a $10,000 fine, according to the Florida Senate. Courts are prohibited from deferring or suspending adjudication of guilt for the offense, and the statute also allows courts to order convicted individuals to pay full financial restitution for law enforcement and agency mobilization costs.
A separate statute, Florida Statute 790.164, extends second-degree felony charges specifically to false reports of bombing, explosives, or arson directed at state-owned or government buildings, with penalties that apply regardless of whether an actual device is ever found. Florida school districts and law enforcement agencies have reported a surge in hoax bomb and violence threats in recent years, with some single sheriff's offices investigating up to 150 threats annually, according to Lee County Schools. It remains unclear who was responsible for Monday's threat at Orlando City Hall or whether any suspect has been identified, and the investigation was ongoing as of Monday afternoon.
