The Office of Justice Coordination was formed in 2003 from the Department of Justice Coordination during a merger with the Department of Consumer Protection. The Board of County Commissioners created the Department of Justice Coordination on May 7, 1991. The history extends back to 1982 when the Chief Judge of the Circuit created the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. This council was composed of the State Attorney, the Chief Judge, the chief criminal administrative judge, the Sheriff, and the police chiefs from the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater. On December 5, 1983, the staff director for this council started work with space and secretarial support provided by the Sheriff and salary provided by Pinellas County through the office of the Chief Judge. One year later, the Office of Justice Planning was created by the court with its own budget, space, and authority.

The emphasis of the office and of the council was to coordinate research and planning to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the justice system. Several major programs were accomplished including the development of a uniform incident report for law enforcement, the first court security programs, a nationally recognized program for in-jail mental health, and a more efficient and humane program for the examination of sexual assault victims. In 1987, the Office of Justice Planning published one of the first comprehensive criminal justice master plans in the state. One year later, the Office was given the task of developing a coordinated response to the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act. In 1991, following the submission of recommendations generated by the National Center for State Courts, the Board of County Commissioners elevated the Office to departmental status, transferred existing employees from the court to the county administrator.

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