Clearwater-area residents who pay property taxes, file court documents or visit the Property Appraiser will do all three under one roof by early 2028.

Pinellas County has begun demolishing its North County Service Center, built in 1978, at 29582 U.S. 19 N., clearing the site for a $51 million replacement that consolidates the Tax Collector, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Property Appraiser into a single three-story, nearly 80,000-square-foot building. Construction should start by late summer 2026, with substantial completion in January 2028, according to Bill Greer, director of the county's Construction and Property Management Department.

That timeline is earlier than previous projections, Greer told the St. Pete Catalyst in a report the outlet published Tuesday, July 22.

"Those capital dollars are now available, enabling the project to move forward," Greer said. "Beginning construction now helps avoid additional cost escalation."

The project is funded through Penny for Pinellas IV, the voter-approved 1% infrastructure sales tax that voters renewed in 2017 and that supports capital projects countywide through 2029.

New building consolidates walk-in services

The new building's first floor will primarily serve walk-in customers handling property tax payments, court filings and property appraisal questions. Upper floors will hold administrative offices and call centers. The campus will also include a three-level, 140,000-square-foot parking garage with 384 spaces and backup generators to keep services running during emergencies.

The county expects to save roughly $800,000 a year by eliminating leased office space it currently rents because the old building is too small. The Tax Collector's operations, for example, are housed in leased space at 29399 U.S. 19 N. in Clearwater.

Greer said the existing facility has been inadequate for meeting service demands for nearly two decades.

Project traces back to a 2014 plan

Planning for a replacement began in 2014. In 2019, the county expanded the concept into its "One Stop Shop" strategy, consolidating multiple constitutional offices in one location. The recently completed South County Service Center at 2500 34th St. N. in St. Petersburg was the first facility built under that model.

The north county project stalled until Penny for Pinellas IV funding became available.

The North County Service Center is one piece of a broader plan to move Pinellas County's government headquarters from downtown Clearwater to a 21-acre campus near U.S. 19 and Ulmerton Road that the county purchased for $33 million in 2023. The county expects the full campus to be completed in 2029.

Clerk's office relocates during construction

The Clerk of the Circuit Court's North County branch moved to the Fessler Center at 3165 McMullen Booth Road, Building B, Clearwater, in late February 2025 and is expected to remain there for up to three years while construction proceeds, according to a press release from Clerk Ken Burke's office.

Commissioners to vote on financing step

County commissioners were scheduled to consider a reimbursement resolution on Tuesday, July 22, that preserves the county's ability to finance the project with future tax-exempt bonds. The vote would not authorize construction or issue debt. The outcome of that vote had not been confirmed at press time.