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Symbolic courthouse reaches construction milestone
A cavalcade of local, regional and statewide leaders gathered along Mirror Lake’s shoreline in St. Petersburg to celebrate a long-awaited new courthouse nearing completion Tuesday.
The topping-out ceremony commemorated the Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeal (DCA) reaching its highest point. It also represented a positive footnote in a nearly 25-year-long saga.
The traditional yet modernized facility replaces the former state-owned Sebring building at 525 Mirror Lake Dr. N. At Tuesday’s event, Mayor Ken Welch said it symbolizes St. Petersburg’s growth and evolution.
“This courthouse aligns perfectly with the values we hold dear,” Welch said. “The values of progress, justice, community and working together.”
Mayor Ken Welch addresses a crowd of local, regional and state officials.
Myriad elected and judicial officials celebrated construction commencing on the site in December 2022. They also utilized the ceremony to honor the facility’s namesake.
Bernie McCabe served as the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney in Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit for nearly three decades. He died in 2021. His wife attended both events.
Welch noted that McCabe’s “legacy of service and dedication continues to inspire to this day.” He said the courthouse bearing McCabe’s name was a “fitting tribute” to his community contributions.
The site – and increasing costs – for the 2nd DCA’s new home was the source of much legislative debate. The three-story, 53,000-square-foot facility will provide 15 judicial chambers, a modern courtroom and workspaces for nearly 100 employees.
Tracy Hunt, executive vice president for lead contractor Skanska, said workers have completed over 57,000 construction hours. Orlando-based DLR Group and St. Petersburg’s Wannemacher Jensen Architects designed the courthouse.
Todd Orr, senior architect for the DLR Group, called it a landmark project that will enrich the city. He said the goal was to create a design “emblematic of the rigor, fortitude and fairness of the American judicial process.”
“The resulting architecture is one that is functional and symbolic, respectful of tradition and celebratory about the future,” Orr added. “The building orientation and form is a direct response to its location within the City of St. Petersburg and the wonderful backdrop that is Mirror Lake.”
The courthouse overlooks Mirror Lake.
Chief Judge Daniel Sleet explained the project’s complicated history. Established in 1957, the 2nd DCA was headquartered in Lakeland from 1979 until 2022.
The district encompassed 14 counties, and Sleet said it was the nation’s busiest and most efficient appellate court. However, most court cases originated around Tampa Bay, and the Lakeland courthouse “became uninhabitable.”
The National Center of Courts recommended building a new facility in 2016. The 2nd DCA began operating from the Stetson Law School in Tampa, and Sleet said his office is a converted closet.
The Legislature allocated $21 million to a new courthouse in 2020. Former Sen. Jeff Brandes proposed building it in St. Petersburg, and the governor subsequently vetoed the appropriation.
Sleet noted that former House Speaker Chris Sprowls “took the baton” in 2021 and suggested naming the facility after McCabe. Sleet said he has spent the past two years “dreaming about value engineering.”
Stakeholders hit a funding roadblock just over a month after breaking ground. In January 2023, Judge Jonathan Gerber of the 4th DCA told lawmakers that despite reducing the courthouse’s footprint, it needed an additional $9 million to move forward.
Sprowls helped secure $50 million for the courthouse in April 2021. Gerber said the governor’s veto pen and soaring construction costs left the project underfunded and delayed its timeline.
Former House Speaker Chris Sprowls (second from right, in blue jacket) was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.
The 2016 study called for a 73,000-square-foot facility with 18 chambers, two courtrooms and a $34 million price tag. Gerber said the new cost was $59 million over a year ago.
“We’ve tried very hard to stay within budget without compromising quality and functionality,” Sleet said Tuesday. “This is the most impressive construction team I’ve ever been a part of.”
Moore said a welcoming, flexible community room on the first floor would foster collaboration. It will also lead to a gathering space along an improved Mirror Lake.
Sleet credited Skanska’s volunteers for cleaning the lake “every other weekend.” He said stakeholders installed a pump and filter system to ensure it remains “clean and beautiful.”
“I can assure you; this will be a place where anybody, regardless of their socioeconomic level, education, race, gender or beliefs, will be treated equally under the law,” Sleet said. “This is a place where you’re going to be heard.”
A rendering of the 2nd DCA. Orlando-based DLR Group and St. Petersburg’s Wannemacher Jensen Architects are designing the courthouse. Image provided.
Ted Lodestar
August 21, 2024at6:16 am
$59 million. For an appellate court that still does most of their work on Zoom. They, along with every other Florida court, shouldn’t get a single penny until they return to working in person for most everything.