Coming June 24th – The Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center Adds A Dedicated Lactation Room
UPDATE (January 2020): Appreciation for the addition of the Lactation Room
“[As an attorney] in Sarasota [who is] in court frequently [and as] a first time mom who just returned from maternity…now navigating the world of pumping and working[,] I just used the lactation room at the courthouse for the first time and I am so, so grateful it exists! Before I found out about this I had no idea what I was going to do and had resigned myself to pumping in a smelly bathroom. Thank you for filling this need in our community!”
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held June 24 for a new nursing room at The Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center in Sarasota.
Members of the Sarasota Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, members of the judiciary, and courthouse personnel will be on hand for the official ceremony to open the room. The ribbon cutting celebration will be held at the courthouse at 2002 Ringling Blvd., at 3 p.m.
“It is our hope that this room will make nursing mothers feel welcome at the courthouse,” said Jessica Farrelly, president of Sarasota FAWL and one of the attorneys responsible for the project.
The nursing room will be open to any courthouse visitor — whether an employee, juror, attorney, or member of the public — and will be available during business hours of the courthouse. Located in room 704, the nursing room will provide a private space that is shielded from view and interruption from the public. The nursing room offers new mothers a quiet, comfortable place to nurse or pump breast milk within the courthouse, equipped with a glider, changing station, fridge, and other essentials such as baby wipes, diaper genie, diaper refill bags, and breast milk bags.
Signs posted in the courthouse will provide information to visitors about the space. Court Administration, located on the 8th floor, is available to assist lactating mothers locate the room, and ensure the room is used appropriately.