$59 million Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse set to open in December in downtown St. Pete
/The Second DCA courthouse is nearing completion at 525 mirror lake drive north | st. pete rising
A major milestone for Florida’s judicial system is nearing completion as the new $59 million Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse prepares to open its doors in downtown St. Petersburg in December.
Located at 525 Mirror Lake Drive North, the three-story, 59,516-square-foot facility sits just one block from City Hall, near the Pinellas County Clerk of Court and other key government buildings.
The courthouse will serve the Sixth Judicial Circuit (Pinellas and Pasco counties), the 12th Circuit (Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties), and the 13th Circuit (Hillsborough County).
The court reviews appeals of trial court decisions from across its district, serving as an intermediary between local circuit courts and the Florida Supreme Court.
It is named the Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse, honoring the late State Attorney for Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit.
the progress of the second DCA courthouse construction progress in september 2025 | st. pete rising
The building includes 15 judicial chambers, a single courtroom, and workspace for 95 full-time employees. It also features covered parking and modern security systems.
The project also includes green space along Mirror Lake and an improvement of the sidewalk that fronts the lake.
The project marks the culmination of a years-long effort to relocate the Second District Court of Appeal from Lakeland, where its former courthouse was vacated in 2016 due to air-quality and structural issues. Since then, the court has operated from leased offices in Lakeland and at the Stetson Law Center in Tampa.
According to State Courts Administrator Eric Maclure, construction remains on schedule and within budget.
“It is scheduled to open its doors to the public on December 1, and there will be a gradual move-in of people and equipment in November,” Maclure told the House Justice Budget Subcommittee.
The second DCA courthouse construction progress as of october 2025 | st. pete rising
The courthouse opening will coincide with the expiration of the existing leases on November 30.
“Right now, we’re paying $774,000 a year in lease costs,” Maclure said. “So we’ll be able to talk with the Legislature about the end of the use of those monies, recognizing there will also be some expenses associated with maintaining the new building.”
Lawmakers appropriated $50 million for the new courthouse in 2021 and an additional $9 million in FY 2023-24. A 2017 study recommended consolidating Second District Court of Appeal operations in the Tampa Bay region, and the Mirror Lake site was selected as an accessible, centralized location.
The courthouse site was previously home to the Sebring Building, a 1968 structure that housed state government offices before being demolished in 2022 to make way for the new facility.
THE SITE was previously HOME TO THE SEBRING BUILDING, BUILT IN 1968, WHICH was DEMOLISHED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW COURTHOUSE | Google Streetview
Construction on the new courthouse began in 2023.
Design work was led by DLR Group of Orlando with Wannemacher Jensen Architects of St. Petersburg serving as associate architect. Skanska USA is the general contractor.
When the courthouse opens later this year, it will represent one of the most significant new civic projects in downtown St. Petersburg, continuing the city’s growth as a regional hub for government and legal services.
Chief Judge Matthew C. Lucas, a Tampa native, currently leads the Second District Court of Appeal and oversees all administrative operations. He was unanimously elected by his colleagues to begin a new two-year term as chief judge on July 1, 2025.
The rear of the building faces mirror lake | st. pete rising
