The basement of the 86-year-old Dade County Courthouse is swathed in opaque plastic cordoning off large sections inundated with water. Parts of ceilings swell with water damage or have collapsed, exposing wiring and plumbing. Open case files sit precariously on rusting shelves.

Yet the eeriest part of the basement is the makeshift plywood frames built this year around the exposed bottoms of support pillars holding up the 27 floors above.