Tampa’s federal courthouse is a busy hub of activity during the workweek. Many attorneys spend their entire day in or around the federal courthouse and, rather than making the commute into downtown Tampa every day, seek available office-space near the federal courthouse building. The Federal Courthouse also sees attorneys from all over the country trying cases lasting several months who require close proximity to the courthouse. These attorneys are not seeking long term space, but they do need office space to house team members until the completion of the trial. It can be a daunting task with Downtown Tampa office market vacancies more scarce than ever. Out of town attorneys need to know which landlords and office building managers will be most likely to accommodate them.
Available real estate around the courthouse is limited and attorneys must be aware of several factors when leasing real estate, especially for those intending to lease short-term.
- Short-term space is limited – Landlords near the courthouse often don’t have several thousand square feet available space for lease and it is very infrequent that it would be available for short-term leases. Many landlords are willing to have a vacancy for a short period of time to wait for a solid long term tenant. Narrow down available spaces and make decisions quickly.
- Furniture Rental – Attorneys seeking short-term leasing options near the courthouse will find their selections even more limited if looking for furnished units. Attorneys should consider short-term furniture rental options such as CORT to expand property search availability.
- Published Rates – Landlords will rarely lease short-term at published rates. Published rates reflected on Loopnet and other property listing sites are for long-term leases. When a short-term tenant moves out, there are still hard costs (clean unit, draw-up new lease, etc.) that landlords are responsible for and it is difficult to spread these costs out across a short-term lease. Attorneys should expect a 25-50% surcharge over Loopnet and other related listings when searching for short-term leases.
- Parking – Parking in downtown Tampa, especially near the federal courthouse, can be tight during the workweek. Make sure there is plenty of available parking space at or near the office you intend to lease. Parking rates in downtown run between $55 and $105 per month. The City of Tampa and the Madison Building at 412 Madison Street offer great parking rates for covered parking. Towards the southern end of downtown, parking can be tight during hockey season. Plan accordingly.
- Proximity – In addition to the need for office space near the federal courthouse, attorneys should also be aware of nearby restaurants. Attorneys at the federal courthouse typically work late and it is a good thing to know where to get late-night meals. While Tampa’s downtown night life is growing, it is by no means a vibrant walking and dining district at night. Good bets for food choices late night are Yeoman’s Cask & Lion, Malio’s and Anise Global Gastrobar .
- Public Transit – Tampa’s transit system is not really efficient. The best bet for transit is renting a car, Taxi or Uber/Lyft.
- Exercise – The downtown YMCA has classes and lifting equipment and will accommodate short term passes. It is the center closest to the Courthouse.
- Document Delivery – Choice Express and Mercury Serve are well known courier and process serving companies serving the downtown legal community.
