An electronic security system at Florida Community College’s Deerwood Center is meeting the changing access control needs of the facility, as it continues its growth from a former shopping mall to a full-fledged campus.
Deerwood Center is part of the Florida Community College of Jacksonville, the 10th largest community college in the U.S. and the second largest in the state. The state of Florida differentiates between a campus and center based on student population requirements and other physical criteria. Still defined as a center, Deerwood serves approximately 8,000 students and continues to grow.
Originally built as an upscale retail mall that served the surrounding area on Jacksonville’s southeast side, the facility was purchased in 1994 when the mall failed and the last store closed. Since then, the College has remodeled the facility extensively but kept some of the mall’s character, including a central open area atrium that functions as a gathering spot.