Criminal cases in Pinellas County are heard at the Pinellas County Justice Center, at 14250 49th Street North in Clearwater. If you have been arrested or received a notice to appear anywhere in the county, from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, this building is almost certainly where your case lives. I practice in this courthouse week in and week out, and this page walks you through the building, the process, and the mistakes that are easy to avoid.
The right building: 49th Street, not downtown
Pinellas County has more than one courthouse, and people regularly drive to the wrong one. The downtown St. Petersburg and Clearwater courthouses handle mostly civil matters. Criminal cases, including DUI, misdemeanors, felonies, and criminal traffic, are handled at the Justice Center on 49th Street in Clearwater, a short drive from the Pinellas County Jail. Your court date paperwork lists the courtroom and time; the address to put in your GPS is 14250 49th Street North, Clearwater.
Getting in: parking, security, and timing
The Justice Center has a large free parking lot, which is one small mercy of the location. Plan to arrive at least thirty minutes early. Everyone passes through security screening with a metal detector and an X-ray belt, and the line is longest first thing in the morning when the day’s dockets begin. Leave pocket knives and anything that could be treated as a weapon in your car. Dress like the day matters, because it does: business casual is enough, and it tells the judge you take the process seriously.
Once inside, the building is easier to navigate than it looks. Misdemeanor courtrooms are on the third floor and felony courtrooms are on the fourth, so your charge tells you where you are headed. The first floor holds pretrial services, where people on pretrial release check in and where conditions like continuous alcohol monitoring are managed. The State Attorney and the Public Defender both have offices in the same building. Your notice to appear or summons lists your courtroom, so bring the paperwork with you.
What happens at a first appearance and an arraignment
If you were arrested and held, your first appearance happens within 24 hours, usually by video from the county jail up the road, where a judge reviews probable cause and sets bond. The arraignment comes later: it is the hearing where the court formally states the charge and asks for your plea.
Here is the part worth knowing before you spend a day in a courtroom hallway: in most cases, once I am hired, I file a written plea of not guilty and you do not have to attend the arraignment at all. The case then moves to the phase where it is won or lost, which is discovery, depositions, and motions, not the sixty seconds in front of the judge.
How a case moves through this courthouse
After arraignment, the court sets case management and pretrial conference dates. Between those dates, the real work happens: I pull the State’s evidence, take depositions of the officers, review video, and in a DUI case, examine the breath test records and the machine’s history. Many cases resolve at or before pretrial through dismissal, reduction, or a negotiated outcome, and the ones that should be tried are set for trial. In misdemeanor cases I can often file a waiver of appearance so I attend routine pretrial hearings for you; in felony cases the court typically requires the defendant at every hearing, though judges sometimes allow virtual appearance or a waiver for clients who live out of state. At every step you will know what the date on your paperwork is for and whether you need to be there.
You can look up your own case and court dates through the Pinellas County Clerk’s website, and I recommend checking it before every date, because times and courtrooms move.
If someone you love is in the county jail
The Pinellas County Jail is a short drive from the Justice Center, at 14400 49th Street North. Bond is set at first appearance, and a lawyer can move to reduce a bond that is out of reach. If your family member was just arrested, the most useful thing you can do is write down what you know, gather the paperwork, and call a lawyer before anyone gives a statement.
Two warnings I give every family. First, jail phone calls are recorded and monitored, and those recordings can end up in the State’s evidence: do not discuss the facts of the case on a jail phone, and save the real conversation for confidential legal visits. Second, know the bond math before you pay: a bail bond agency’s fee is generally non-refundable under Florida law once the bond is posted, while a cash bond paid directly to the jail or the Clerk may be returned at the end of the case, less any court costs or holds.
Common Questions
Do I have to appear at my arraignment in Pinellas County?
In most misdemeanor and many felony cases, once you hire a lawyer, your attorney can file a written plea of not guilty and waive your appearance at arraignment. That is one of the first things I do for a new client, because it spares you a missed day of work and a stressful courtroom appearance. Some hearings still require you in person, and I tell you exactly which ones.
Where do I park at the Pinellas County Justice Center?
The Justice Center has a large free parking lot on site. Arrive at least thirty minutes before your scheduled time so you have time to park, clear security, and find your courtroom.
Can I bring my phone into the courthouse?
Phones are generally allowed through security, but they must be silenced, and individual judges set their own courtroom rules. Photography and recording inside courtrooms are prohibited without permission.
What happens if I miss my court date?
The judge can issue a warrant for your arrest, and in a driving case the Clerk can also move against your license. If you have missed a date, call a lawyer the same day, because a prompt motion can often resolve the warrant before it turns into an arrest.
Related reading
Start with my Pinellas County defense page for how I handle cases here, the Pinellas DUI penalties page if your case is a DUI, and the diversion and treatment courts page for the programs that can resolve a case without a conviction.
Your court date is not the finish line, it is the starting gun. If you have a date at the Pinellas County Justice Center, call or text me at (727) 761-4318 before you go, and in many cases I can appear for you so you do not have to be there at all. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
