Clearwater firm starts work on $51 million government office project

Creative Contractors has started construction on Pinellas County’s new $51.5 million municipal center.

The 52-year-old Clearwater firm was awarded the contract for the project in March to replace an existing 18,000-square-foot government building with the new North County Service Center at 29582 U.S. Highway 19 just north of Countryside Mall.

A spokesperson says construction “just started” and that the new facility is slated to open in 2028.

The new center is a three-story, 75,000-square-foot government office building that will bring together the county’s tax collector, property appraiser and clerk of the circuit court offices under one roof.

The first floor will house customer service operations, according to a statement, with the administrative offices for constitutional officers, county management and call centers on the upper floors.

Plans also call for a three-story parking garage with 384 spaces to be built.

Creative Contractors, which also has offices in Bradenton and Lakeland, was founded in 1974 and has a long history working on major projects locally.

Among them, according to the statement, are the baggage claim addition at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in 2000, the construction of the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in 2003 and the renovation of the sheriff department’s administrative support building in 2007. The firm has also worked on the county court consolidation in 2024 and is currently working on the Pinellas County Jail’s security entry, which is scheduled to be finished next year.

The firm’s annual revenue tops $200 million.