On Thursday, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls announced the decision to construct a new courthouse for Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal (DCA) in downtown St. Petersburg.

The new $50 million courthouse will be built at 525 Mirror Lake Drive, near the Pinellas County Clerk of Court and various other government buildings. The site is currently home to the Sebring Building, which will be demolished to make way for the new courthouse.

“We are delighted that legislative leaders recognized the need for this critical facility,” said Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. “A downtown location in Pinellas County’s most populous city will be a prominent and smart location for the new courthouse.”

The Second DCA courthouse will be named after the late Bernie McCabe, a former state prosecutor that served Pinellas and Pasco counties on criminal and civil matters for nearly three decades. McCabe died on January 1, 2021.

“The establishment of the Bernie McCabe Courthouse in Pinellas County is an important step in addressing the unique needs of the Second District,” said Speaker Chris Sprowls. “This courthouse will serve as a physical symbol of McCabe’s deep legacy of devotion to justice and to Pinellas County. There is no one more deserving of this honor than the late Bernie McCabe – my friend, my mentor, and a stalwart public servant.”

A new courthouse for the Second DCA has been under consideration ever since the 55-year-old Lakeland facilities were deemed unsafe due to mold in 2016. Since then, the court has leased temporary space in Lakeland and Tampa.

In 2016, a legislative study suggested the new location should be in Tampa Bay, the district's population center. In April, Florida Legislature agreed to build the new courthouse in Pinellas.

“A long journey but incredibly excited about the outcome,” tweeted Senator Jeff Brandes on Thursday. “St. Pete will be the center of the legal universe for the Tampa Bay region and will serve as a catalyst for redevelopment of Mirror Lake.”

The Second DCA hears appeals of trial court decisions from five of Florida's twenty judicial circuits. There are now fourteen counties in the second district, which includes a population of over 5.5 million people.  The second district covers Pasco, Pinellas, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough, Charlotte, Glades, Collier, Hendry, and Lee.

There are now 16 judges on the court; the number of cases filed annually between 2000 and 2015 fluctuated between approximately 5,500 and 6,300.

“The Florida Department of Management Services is honored to be a part of designing and building a courthouse that reflects the important work of the Court and the services it provides to Floridians,” said Todd Inman, Secretary, Management Services. “The Department is very appreciative of the work that the Florida Legislature accomplished in order to move the Bernie McCabe Courthouse forward.”

In October, Orlando-based DLR Group was selected as the project’s architect.

Now that a location has been selected for the courthouse, work will begin on designing the new facilities. There is currently no timeline for completion.