News Summary
St. Petersburg, FL, is set to unveil its new Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse on December 1, 2025. The $59 million project spans over 59,516 square feet and will enhance the judicial process for Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Hillsborough counties. The facility will honor late State Attorney Bernie McCabe and includes modern features like security systems and green spaces. This new structure replaces a previous courthouse abandoned due to air-quality issues, significantly improving facilities for the local judicial system.
St. Petersburg, FL – The new Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse, located at 525 Mirror Lake Drive North in downtown St. Petersburg, is set to open on December 1, 2025. This state-of-the-art facility, designed to enhance the judicial process, is part of a $59 million construction project that spans 59,516 square feet across three stories.
The new courthouse is strategically positioned just one block from St. Petersburg City Hall and in proximity to other essential government buildings, such as the Pinellas County Clerk of Court. It will serve as the hub for the Sixth Judicial Circuit (Pinellas and Pasco counties), the 12th Circuit (Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties), as well as the 13th Circuit (Hillsborough County). The court is chiefly responsible for hearing appeals of trial court decisions, functioning as an intermediary between local circuit courts and the Florida Supreme Court.
This courthouse will honor the memory of Bernie McCabe, the late State Attorney for Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, and is designed to accommodate 15 judicial chambers, one courtroom, and workspace for 95 full-time employees. In addition to modern security systems and covered parking, the facility will integrate green space along Mirror Lake and improvements to the surrounding sidewalks.
The decision to build a new courthouse in St. Petersburg comes after the previous location in Lakeland faced significant air-quality and structural problems, leading to its abandonment in 2016. Since then, the Second DCA has been leasing office spaces at various sites, including Lakeland and the Stetson Law Center in Tampa.
The new courthouse’s opening is timely, coinciding with the expiration of current rental leases on November 30, allowing the courts to avoid ongoing costs of $774,000 per year. Funding for the courthouse was made available through state legislators, who allocated $50 million for construction in 2021 and an additional $9 million in the fiscal year 2023-24.
A comprehensive study conducted in 2017 advocated for the consolidation of court operations in the Tampa Bay area, ultimately identifying the Mirror Lake site for its accessibility. The site previously housed the Sebring Building, established in 1968, which was demolished in 2022 to pave the way for the new courthouse.
The architectural design features a collaborative effort led by DLR Group of Orlando and Wannemacher Jensen Architects from St. Petersburg, with Skanska USA serving as the general contractor. The courthouse’s design includes a flexible community room intended to encourage collaboration among its users. Alongside this, the project plans to implement a pump and filter system to maintain cleanliness and visual appeal in the surrounding Mirror Lake area.
The new courthouse represents a significant civic development in St. Petersburg, solidifying the city’s role as a destination for governmental and legal services. The operations of the Second District Court of Appeal are overseen by Chief Judge Matthew C. Lucas, who will commence a new two-year term as chief judge on July 1, 2025.
This milestone marks a substantial advancement for the local judicial system, promising to deliver improved facilities and services for the community and the legal process in the region.
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Additional Resources
- St. Peterizing: Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse
- Florida YIMBY: Construction Begins on Bernie McCabe Courthouse
- JD Supra: Everything You Need to Know About the New Courthouse
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Courthouse
- Google News: Second District Court of Appeal
Author: STAFF HERE TAMPA WRITER
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