Vultures eating away at Orange Co. Courthouse building

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Channel 9 has discovered vultures are once again attacking the Orange County Courthouse -- costing taxpayers a small fortune.

County officials said the birds are eating away at the caulking and window joints.

"First time I saw them, I did wonder why this building," said resident Robert Kelly.

Between the vultures devouring the grout and regular wear and tear, the county said it is going to cost taxpayers $250,000 to re-grout the top four floors.

Orange County also wants to spend $108,000 to install what's called a bird jolt system that'll keep the vultures away for good.

"That's crazy. I can't believe vultures are eating away at the building. I've never heard of anything like that before," said Kaitlin Friguletto, who was visiting the courthouse.

The county already has a bird deterrent system, but it is 10 years old. Orange County said it is costing more to fix the system than to install a new one.

If the system breaks down, it could lead to damage the county saw back in 2003 before a shock system was installed.

Bird droppings have covered LED light fixtures so much they needed to be replaced after being installed only six months ago.

Grout and caulking are completely gone in places which has made the building prone to water leaks and damage during rainstorms.

"To consider this a source of food, I wouldn't have thought of the roof as a source of food," Kelly said.

Orange County is in the process of selecting a vendor to install the new system.

WFTV