West Tampa School Shakeup: $77M Rebuild To Remake Stewart And Just Campus

West Tampa’s getting a school overhaul that is a lot more than a fresh coat of paint. Skanska has landed a $77 million contract with Hillsborough County Public Schools to rebuild Stewart Middle Magnet School and neighboring Just Elementary, creating a single, integrated campus of roughly 135,000 square feet with space for more than 1,500 students. The existing Stewart building will be demolished, the district says Stewart’s gym will stay put with new lighting and code upgrades, and construction is scheduled to start in February 2026 and wrap up in the first quarter of 2028.

Skanska wins the contract

Skanska USA said in a press release that the $77 million deal with Hillsborough County Public Schools covers both demolition and ground-up construction for the Stewart and Just campus. The company said the new shared site will feature common amenities like a cafeteria and media center, with Stewart designed for more than 1,000 student stations and Just Elementary planned to serve about 530 students. Skanska also pointed to its role in bringing the existing Stewart gym up to current code as part of the package.

Long-running district plan for West Tampa

This rebuild has been inching forward for quite a while. District planning documents and local coverage trace the proposal through more than a year of procurement steps. The Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that Skanska released bids in mid-2025 and was targeting an early 2028 opening, while the Tampa Bay Times detailed the district’s 2024 plan to rebuild both campuses.

Design and timeline

FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture is listed as the project designer on the firm’s project page. Skanska pegs construction to a February 2026 start with completion in the first quarter of 2028, while procurement documents describe a mix of tilt-wall and steel construction for the new building. Florida Bids lists the project scope and the district contact handling subcontractor prequalification.

Temporary relocation and community reaction

To keep school in session while the site gets torn up and rebuilt, Hillsborough County shifted Stewart students onto the Just Elementary campus in late January 2026, ahead of demolition and early site work, according to the district’s school page. Hillsborough County Public Schools posted the relocation notice, and earlier coverage of Just Elementary’s proposed closure shows how sensitive West Tampa families are to any shakeup in their neighborhood schools. Axios reported on the 2023 debate over closing Just, a fight that made clear residents would be watching the district’s next moves closely.

Local jobs and a bigger Florida pipeline

The Stewart and Just contract is one piece of a much larger education portfolio. Industry outlets note that Skanska is working on about $400 million worth of school projects across multiple Florida counties, which is expected to open the door for local subcontractors and trades to get in on the action. Florida Construction News and other business publications have highlighted the deal and the likely ripple effects for Tampa-area suppliers and construction firms.

Next steps

Hillsborough County officials and Skanska say they plan to post schedule updates and construction notices as the project moves from paperwork to demolition and full-scale building work. Construction Equipment Guide published a brief rundown after the announcement, and families are being directed to follow the district’s project pages for details on transportation changes, safety plans, and any calendar shifts as the rebuild ramps up.