Construction has begun on the Second District Court of Appeal in downtown St. Petersburg. 

The $59 million courthouse is being built at 525 Mirror Lake Drive near the Pinellas County Clerk of Court, St. Petersburg City Hall, and various other government buildings.

The courthouse will be named the Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse after the late State Attorney for Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit which represents Pinellas and Pasco County.

Previously the site was home to the Sebring Building, built in 1968, which was demolished in 2022 in preparation for the new facility, and housed state government offices.

“I am pleased to announce that the design process for our new courthouse is in the final stages and that the site and foundation work is beginning,” said Judge Daniel H. Sleet, Chief Judge of Florida's Second District Court of Appeal. 

“We want to thank Florida’s Department of Management Services, our architect, the construction team, and the City of St. Petersburg for collaborating on this project,” said Judge Sleet. “We look forward to keeping the community informed about our progress.”

The Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse will be a three-story, 53,000 square-foot building with 15 judicial chambers, one courtroom, and workspaces for 95 full-time employees. 

The new facility relocates the Second District Court of Appeal from Lakeland to St. Petersburg and has been years in the making. Currently, the cases for the court operate in a classroom in downtown Tampa.  

The Florida Legislature appropriated $50 million for the new courthouse in 2021 and appropriated another $9 million last session.

Orlando-based DLR Group is the Architect of Record and St. Pete-based Wannemacher Jensen Architects is the Associate Architect for the courthouse. Skanska USA is the general contractor for the project.

Site and foundation work is underway and vertical construction is expected to begin in the coming months. No completion date has been announced.