“We need to take every precaution to be safe and to protect the jobs and properties around us,” said Walter Hall, chief at Fairmont development LLC, one of at least two companies supporting the project. 

Securing the site was a necessary step for Dorian, projected to make landfall as a major slow-moving Category 4 hurricane, dumping six to 10 inches of rain in parts of the state. All 67 counties in the state are in a state of emergency.

By Friday evening, Dorian’s track remains uncertain as state and emergency response officials monitor three scenarios: a rake of Florida’s East coast, a direct hit in South Florida in which the storm will then run up the state’s spine, or it could strike across the Peninsula and enter the Gulf of Mexico.

Work on Washington square stopped amid a standoff between the developer and the city of Tallahassee over terms in an indefinite easement agreement needed to load services at the hotel. Both sides disputed the future of the easement located on the ground floor of the city-owned Eastside garage if the garage was ever demolished.

The standoff prompted the developer to file a lawsuit against the city, which was settled on August 19.

In addition, the company will have to pay about $8.2 million in liens previously filed by its General contractor Yates

Asked when regular work would resume in Washington square, Hall was unable to give a final date. However, city spokeswoman Alison Faris said the settlement agreement was fully implemented by all parties. 

“We were not aware of any obstacles to their resumption of construction,” she said. 

Contact TaMaryn Waters at [email protected] or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.