ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Skanska, a construction firm, has placed the final piece of structural steel atop the $59 million courthouse for the Second District Court of Appeal, representing the project’s topping out. Situated near St. Petersburg City Hall, the three-story, 51,708-square-foot courthouse will hear appeals from the Sixth Circuit (Pasco and Pinellas counties), the Twelfth Circuit (Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties), and the Thirteenth Circuit (Hillsborough County).
“Our team is incredibly proud to build this landmark courthouse strategically positioned to better serve the community,” said Tracy Hunt, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Skanska’s Florida building operations. “For years we’ve had the great pleasure of constructing vital projects throughout the greater Tampa Bay region, and we’re honored to continue that legacy with the addition of the Second District Court of Appeal’s courthouse in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg.”
Slated for delivery in the fall of 2025 and designed by architecture firms DLR Group, the architect of record, and Wannemacher Jensen Architects, the associate architect — the steel and architectural precast project encompasses 15 judicial chambers on two separate levels, a ceremonial courtroom and lobby, and three floors of office space for judicial personnel and Clerk of Court services. The construction also includes an additional 7,800-square-foot central energy plant and secured ground-floor parking. The project is seeking LEED certification upon completion.
The new courthouse is named in honor of the late State Attorney for Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, Bernie McCabe, who served Pinellas and Pasco counties for almost 50 years. His passing in January 2021 marked the end of a career of service that dated back to 1972.
With a trajectory building projects across Florida, Skanska has delivered past projects in the Greater Tampa Bay area such as the recent renovation and expansion of the Tampa Convention Center, and the construction of Coachman Park in Downtown Clearwater, the construction of the University of South Florida Health’s Morsani College of Medicine & Heart Institute at Water Street Tampa, and the construction of the St. Petersburg Pier, Pier Approach, and Gateway.
