Back to all offices
Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
ST PETERSBURG FL OHO
Region 04Rank #4 of 160
Avg processing
219days
-45 vs national
Processing time
219
7.3 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
2,699
FY receipts
2,517
FY dispositions
1,145
Active judges
4
Video hearings
—
Avg approval rate
64.5%
+6.7 vs avg
Backlog ratio
2.20
Growing
Rank
#4
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 73 daysAvg · 264 daysSlowest · 673 days
The draw · approval spread across 4 judges
53%
70%
0%Median 68.5%100%
At ST PETERSBURG FL OHO, approval rates range from 53.0% (Kafkas, Peter) to 69.7% (Smith, Donald G.) — a 17-pointspread. Assignment is effectively the luck of the draw, so the judge a case lands with can matter more than the office’s average. Plan for the median (68.5%), not the best case.
Judges at ST PETERSBURG FL OHO (4)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith, Donald G. | 69.7% | 357 | 249 | 108 | |
| Messina, Christopher | 69.4% | 36 | 25 | 11 | |
| Alderisio, James P. | 67.5% | 280 | 189 | 91 | |
| Kafkas, Peter | 53.0% | 249 | 132 | 117 |