Quick summary: St. Petersburg debts come from banks, manufacturers, research groups, and a busy waterfront downtown. The cases are heard in Pinellas County, just across the bay from our Tampa office, and knowing which Pinellas courthouse hears yours saves time from the start.
St. Petersburg’s business base is wider than its beaches. Raymond James anchors a large financial services workforce. Jabil leads a manufacturing sector built on electronics and precision work. The downtown Innovation District holds USF St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, and one of the Southeast’s larger groups of marine science organizations. The Gateway area to the north is a major employment center of its own.
Every one of those employers runs on vendors, landlords, lenders, and subcontractors. When an account in that chain goes unpaid, the case belongs to Pinellas County, in Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, a short drive across the bay from our office.
For creditors and referring attorneys
Creditors with St. Petersburg files are often lenders, equipment finance companies, commercial landlords downtown and in the Warehouse Arts District, and suppliers to the manufacturers around Gateway. We look at the file first and tell you what the debtor is likely to own and whether it’s worth the cost of going after it.
Referring attorneys with a Florida judgment from another county, or an out-of-state judgment against a St. Petersburg business, can hand us the enforcement work. We’ll domesticate an out-of-state judgment first when it needs it.
Collecting a debt or judgment in St. Petersburg
Debtors in St. Petersburg don’t look alike. A contract manufacturer owns factory equipment. A tech or financial services firm holds receivables and bank balances. A downtown developer owns real estate, sometimes in a company created just for that project. The first job is working out which kind of debtor you have. Then the tool follows:
- Factory and shop equipment: levy and sale through the Pinellas County Sheriff
- Receivables from the debtor’s clients: a writ of garnishment directed at those clients
- Downtown or Gateway commercial property: a judgment lien recorded in Pinellas County
- Property held in a separate project company: proceedings supplementary to reach it
Each of these is explained on our judgment enforcement page.
The venue: Pinellas County courts
Pinellas County has courthouses at both ends. South county civil matters are heard at the St. Petersburg Judicial Building on 1st Avenue North, and the main courthouse in Clearwater handles circuit and county civil for the whole county. Which building hears a case depends on the division and the location, so we confirm it when we open the file. Appeals go to the Second District Court of Appeal.
- Courthouse: St. Petersburg Judicial Building, 545 1st Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
- Clerk: Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court
- Circuit: Sixth Judicial Circuit guide (official site)
- Appeals: Second District Court of Appeal
Frequently asked questions
Will a St. Petersburg case be heard in St. Petersburg or in Clearwater?
It depends on the case type and the division. Pinellas civil matters can be heard at either courthouse. We check before filing so you aren’t sending witnesses or paperwork to the wrong building.
The debtor is a manufacturer. Is its equipment worth going after?
Often, but not always. Equipment can already be pledged to a lender, which comes first. We check the UCC filings before recommending a levy, so you know what would actually be left for you.
Bottom line: If a St. Petersburg business owes you money, contact us or call (813) 229-0900. We’re just across the bay, and we’ll tell you what the file is worth before you spend on it.
Nearby: Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota.