Orlando's old customhouse had been around for 16 years; it had become decrepit, and as staff grew in size over the years, the old customhouse couldn't keep up.

Customs also had to share the old building with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in a half-and-half arrangement. Although each agency had its own separate entrance, every day the line outside the INS reached the Customs Service's door. Needless to say, the profusion of uniforms caused constant confusion.

It was becoming clear to the Customs employees in Orlando and to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) that all the local and workforce expansion would require a larger, state-of-the-art facility to serve everyone's needs.

GOAA was concerned with the Customs Service's needs, but it also had an international airport to run. So when the ramp area that had provided accommodations for the old customhouse fell victim to GOAA's plans for runway improvements, Customs moved its operations to a nearby temporary facility that GOAA provided.

Acquisition planning for the new building started in 1993; construction began in 2000. Customs participated in designing the customhouse because who would know better what would be needed in the way of administrative, cargo, private-aircraft-processing, and CET facilities?

Once completed, the new building was for the employees like moving from the dark ages into the space age. And there was twice as much space.

In addition to office space for the Area Port personnel, the new customhouse is equipped with a mini federal inspection station, a search room, an entrance-and-clearance office, a canine kennel, a fitness room, public restrooms, and a conference/training room large enough to accommodate the port's entire staff.

The building has surveillance cameras mounted on the outside with a video monitor and recording equipment in the cargo section. There's a storage area that houses emergency equipment for all Customs employees located in the entire southeast United States to use when natural disasters hit. It has water drums, ice chests, flashlights, generators, even a kennel trailer so that the canines working in South Florida can be evacuated in an emergency. After all, this is hurricane country.

There's plenty of ramp area right behind the building so that private aircraft, of which Orlando processes plenty, can taxi right up to the building for report and inspection.

The new building is the result of a team effort among GOAA, Customs management, and NTEU - equally pleased with Customs new "home."