In-Person Filings
I am pleased to announce that the design process for our new courthouse is in the final stages and that the site and foundation work is beginning. We want to thank Florida’s Department of Management Services, our architect, the construction team, and the City of St. Petersburg for collaborating on this project. We look forward to keeping the community informed about our progress. – Chief Judge Daniel H. Sleet.
Construction drone updates here.
The Second District Court of Appeal hears appeals of circuit and county court decisions from three of Florida's twenty judicial circuits in the Greater Tampa Bay area, representing nearly four million people. The circuits include the Sixth Judicial Circuit (Pinellas and Pasco counties), the Twelfth Judicial Circuit (Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto counties), and The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County). In most cases, the district court of appeal is the court of last resort for these appeals.
In most cases, each case is decided by a panel of three judges, at least two of whom must agree on how that case will be resolved. Infrequently, all of the court's judges will hear and decide a case. Typically, this occurs when the court considers receding from a previous decision by the court because new events have caused the court to view that decision as no longer being an accurate statement of the then-current law.
The court has fifteen judges. When a vacancy exists, a new judge is appointed by the governor. Newly appointed judges go on the ballot for the first time within two years after appointment for the district's voters to confirm whether that judge should be retained in their position. If the voters retain them, the judges will appear on the ballot every six years.
The court was established in 1956 in Lakeland. At that time, the court was centrally located within the court's district, which included the territorial jurisdiction of the subsequently established fourth, fifth, and sixth district courts of appeal, headquartered in West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, and Lakeland, respectively.
The 2021 legislative session produced the long-awaited approval and funding to build a new courthouse in Pinellas County--The Bernie McCabe Courthouse-- named for the late, longtime, and distinguished State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. The following year, the legislative session of 2022 voted to divide the court's then fourteen-county district in half and create a new Sixth District Court of Appeal to be headquartered in Lakeland, beginning on January 1, 2023.
On January 1, 2023, Florida will have a new district court of appeal; the boundaries of the first, second, and fifth districts will be realigned to accommodate the creation of a sixth district.
Watch this website for specific Second DCA changes. The website for the Sixth DCA is available here.
Starting April 15, 2024, please visit the Appellate Case Information System (ACIS) located at https://acis.flcourts.gov for access to all public dockets. Please note some case dockets and documents may be restricted by rule, statute, or otherwise unavailable to the public. Attorneys of record and self-represented litigants must register to obtain access to documents in their cases. It is important to note that your ACIS account is replacing your eDCA account.
Attorneys of record who registered with ACIS for access to Supreme Court and/or First, Third, or Fourth DCAs do not need to re-register.
Access the registration guide here.
The Second District Court of Appeal
1700 N. Tampa Street, Suite 300
Tampa, Florida 33602
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Monday - Friday, excluding holidays
All Second DCA court operations are temporarily located in Stetson's Tampa Law Center.
Phone:
(727) 610-3740
Clerk's Office
(727) 610-3741
Marshal's Office and Judges' Chambers
(727) 610-3742
