New county government campus plans take shape

The planning process for a more modern, efficient and accessible new Pinellas County Government headquarters in Largo, previously estimated at $263 million to $334 million, is well underway.

Officials have secured a 21-acre, centrally located property at 13600 Icot Blvd. for $33 million. Real estate consulting firm CBRE is conducting ongoing space studies and analyses to help determine the project’s vision.

County commissioners discussed preliminary site plans and heard a conservative construction timeline at an Aug. 29 work session. Administrator Barry Burton called it a time-consuming, deliberate process.

“We don’t want to just design a new building based on old business practices,” Burton said. “We really want to get everybody together, find efficiencies and look at the way we’re doing business before we start designing buildings.”

CBRE will also provide development strategies for the new site and current Clearwater facilities. County officials have 14 government buildings totaling 569,000 square feet scattered throughout the downtown core.

Many of those buildings opened in the 1960s and 1970s and are now functionally obsolete. Commissioners voted 6-1 to purchase the Icot property, now home to a car dealership and sprawling surface parking lots, in November 2023.

The overarching goal is to build a streamlined, 317,500-square-foot campus that accommodates new technologies and hosts government operations for at least 50 years. Commissioner Charlie Justice noted the significant size discrepancy.

Lee Anne Korst, senior vice president at CBRE, said the space differential “speaks to the inefficiencies of your current campus.” She noted that departments on the new campus could share lobbies, break rooms and restrooms.

A preliminary site plan for the new county government campus at 13600 Icot Blvd. in Largo. Screengrab.

Michelle Ferguson, vice president of government management firm Raftelis, called the project a once-in-a-generation opportunity to increase efficiencies for staffers and residents. The company has developed workflow maps illustrating how people engage with services, and how that could change in the new space.

Design firm Gensler will lead site planning, space programming and Clearwater redevelopment efforts. Preliminary configurations include two three-story buildings and one two-story building, with either surface parking or a more expensive garage.

A justice and recording facility would total 135,000 square feet and house 459 staffers. The administrative building would encompass 120,500 square feet and accommodate 490 employees, and a two-story, 62,000-square-foot development services building would accommodate another 321.

Korst noted that constructing low-rise buildings eliminates the need for additional fire suppression systems and provides other cost savings. Robert Peck, co-leader of Gensler’s government and defense practice, explained the benefits of “one-stop shops” that mitigate searching for multiple offices throughout a mid or high-rise structure.

County and city officials must discuss implementing a new stop light on Ulmerton Road. Commissioner Rene Flowers stressed the importance – and challenges – of creating an adjacent bus station.

Korst said CBRE commissioned a traffic study to help advance those discussions with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Agency and the Florida Department of Transportation. Commissioner Dave Eggers said the initial site plans looked crowded.

Burton said the officials would only need to use eight of the 21 acres with a parking garage. “There’s a lot of open space here, and we want to make sure we have potential for future growth.”

County officials could bundle existing government properties for expansive placemaking developments. Screengrab.

Redeveloping current facilities

Robert Peck, co-leader of Gensler’s government and defense practice, said stakeholders could market the Clearwater properties once they establish a more concrete construction timeline. “We really just dipped our toes into this part of our work.”

Robert Shaw, owner’s representative for CBRE, said visioning and process review efforts would continue through early 2025. The consultants will then begin the planning and permitting phase.

Shaw expects construction to commence in the spring of 2026 and conclude in 2028. “That’s a very conservative schedule,” he said. “We’d like to improve on that.”

Peck explained that officials could bundle the Clearwater properties and market three “sizable cores” for expansive placemaking developments. They could also divide the existing facilities into smaller sites, which could “move faster.”

“We’re trying, with CBRE, to look at this through a developer’s eyes,” Peck added. “What are the opportunities to create a lot of vibrancy in downtown Clearwater.”

Justice noted he has already received inquiries on the properties. Burton said the county’s plans must align with the city, and his focus remains on the new campus.

He will provide commissioners with space study results and additional project details sometime in the fall. Eggers requested an update on its potential price tag, and said selling the Clearwater properties could offset costs.

“This is going to be a big number,” Eggers said. “And I’d like to start seeing that.”