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Florida · Treasure Coast · #212 Most Populous County in the US
St. Lucie County, Florida
The Treasure Coast's largest county — from Port St. Lucie's master-planned communities and the Mets spring training complex at Clover Park to Fort Pierce's historic downtown and Sunrise Theatre, the St. Lucie River estuary, and one of Florida's fastest-growing counties driven by South Florida price displacement northward. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for St. Lucie County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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St. Lucie County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: St. Lucie County Emergency Management – (772) 462-8100 | stlucieco.gov/emergency
Alert System: SLC Alert; Florida FDEM; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Multiple shelter locations; contact OEM; St. Lucie County Fairgrounds
FEMA Region: Region 4
Notes: Treasure Coast Florida county; Fort Pierce is county seat; SIGNIFICANT hurricane risk (Frances and Jeanne 2004 both struck St. Lucie County in the same season – Frances made direct landfall at Fort Pierce; devastating damage; ongoing risk); coastal flooding (Indian River Lagoon; Atlantic; St. Lucie River inlet; Lake Okeechobee discharges via the St. Lucie Canal); St. Lucie Canal (C-44) connects Lake Okeechobee directly to the county – the source of catastrophic algal blooms
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Florida DOT; I-95 (north-south); US-1 (coastal); Florida Turnpike (inland); SR-70 (east-west cross-Florida to Lake Okeechobee); Fort Pierce is about 45 miles north of West Palm Beach
Transit: Very limited; primarily auto-dependent
Airport: Treasure Coast International Airport (FPR); Orlando/West Palm Beach for commercial travel
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Services: Active county; Fort Pierce (separate), Port St. Lucie (separate – one of Florida’s largest cities by land area; enormous growth; Tradition planned community), Hutchinson Island, Jensen Beach
Notes: Port St. Lucie is one of Florida’s fastest-growing large cities; Tradition (a master-planned community in western St. Lucie County) has been one of the most active new communities; Hutchinson Island coastal development; the St. Lucie Canal corridor
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
VA Medical: West Palm Beach VA (about 45 miles south); Fort Pierce VA CBOC; large veteran population
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: St. Lucie County Library System – 5 branches; Fort Pierce (main), Port St. Lucie, Lakewood Park, Morningside, Traditions
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park; Savannas Preserve State Park (one of Florida’s finest scrub/savanna preserves; excellent Florida scrub jay habitat); UDT/SEAL Museum (Fort Pierce – the birthplace of US Navy SEALs; training began here in WWII; fascinating museum); Manatee Center (Fort Pierce – excellent manatee education and viewing); McKee Botanical Garden (Vero Beach – accessible; one of Florida’s finest historic botanical gardens)
Notes: Fort Pierce was the training ground for Navy frogmen (UDT – Underwater Demolition Teams) in WWII – the ancestors of the Navy SEALs; the museum is excellent; the Savannas Preserve protects one of the finest remaining coastal scrub and savanna habitats in Florida
13-15. GIS/ANIMALS/ENVIRONMENT
Key Issue: St. Lucie Canal (C-44) Lake Okeechobee discharges (the toxic blue-green algal blooms that flow from Lake Okeechobee through the St. Lucie Canal and into the St. Lucie River estuary/Indian River Lagoon are the defining environmental crisis; the estuary’s seagrass, oysters, and dolphin populations are severely stressed; the community’s advocacy for Everglades restoration is intense; the C-43 and C-44 reservoir projects are critical)
About St. Lucie County
St. Lucie County sits on Florida’s Treasure Coast – the Atlantic shoreline between Palm Beach County and Brevard County, named for the Spanish treasure fleet that wrecked offshore in a 1715 hurricane, scattering gold and silver coins that still wash ashore occasionally after storms. The county’s two cities – Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce – have strikingly different characters that reflect the county’s dual identity.
Port St. Lucie (population ~230,000) is one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States – a planned community that began as a General Development Corporation project in the 1960s, laid out on a vast grid of canals and streets that were platted decades before most lots were built upon. Port St. Lucie’s extraordinary growth has been driven by affordable (by South Florida standards) housing, a warm climate, and its position between the expensive Palm Beach metro to the south and the Space Coast to the north. The New York Mets hold spring training at Clover Park (formerly First Data Field) in Port St. Lucie – the team has trained here since 1988, and the facility is one of the most modern spring training complexes in Florida.
Fort Pierce (the county seat, population ~48,000) is one of Florida’s oldest communities – established around a military fort built during the Second Seminole War in 1838 – and has a distinct working-class and cultural character compared to Port St. Lucie. The Zora Neale Hurston connection is Fort Pierce’s most celebrated cultural legacy: the Harlem Renaissance author and anthropologist (Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937) spent her final years in Fort Pierce and is buried in the city’s Garden of the Heavenly Rest cemetery. The Zora Neale Hurston Library and annual festival honor her memory.
The Indian River Lagoon – a 156-mile-long estuary running along the Treasure Coast – is one of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America, home to more than 4,300 species of plants and animals. The lagoon’s health has been severely stressed by nutrient pollution and blue-green algae blooms in recent years, creating significant environmental and economic pressure.
County government is a five-member Board of County Commissioners with separately elected offices for the Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Florida assesses at just value each January 1. TRIM Notice in August – 25-day petition window to the St. Lucie County Value Adjustment Board. Homestead exemption: File with the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser at 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, FL 34982, phone 772-462-1000, by March 1. No FL estate or inheritance tax.
Recommended
St. Lucie County TRIM notice August — 25-day appeal window. Port St. Lucie South Florida price-displacement appreciation strong. No FL estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Circuit Court (Probate): The St. Lucie County Circuit Court – 19th Judicial Circuit at 218 S. 2nd Street, Fort Pierce, FL 34950, phone 772-462-6900, handles probate, estate administration, and all civil and criminal matters. Clerk of Courts maintains Official Records searchable online at clerkofcourts.co.st-lucie.fl.us.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Records, Marriage Licenses)
218 S. 2nd St., Fort Pierce, FL 34950
(772) 462-6900
Genealogy
County-level record sources
St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court, both locations (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
St. Lucie County Regional History Center (formerly St. Lucie County Historical Museum), 414 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, FL – opened 1968, now run by volunteers of the St. Lucie Historical Society.
St. Lucie County Library System – Fort Pierce branch (opened 1954) was the first county-supported library in Florida.
Local societies
Port St. Lucie Historical Society – a member society of the Florida State Genealogical Society.
St. Lucie Historical Society, Fort Pierce, FL.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
St. Lucie County has two courthouse locations – file in whichever is more convenient.
St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court – 201 South Indian River Drive, 2nd Floor, Fort Pierce, FL 34950. (561) 462-6930. St. Lucie County West Annex – 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986. St. Lucie County sits in Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit. Probate Judge: Hon. Barbara W. Bronis.
IMPORTANT – a major statewide law change just took effect: Florida’s summary administration threshold DOUBLED from $75,000 to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026, under CS/HB 1337 (Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida). Confirm which threshold applies based on date of death when helping someone (see
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
4700 W. Midway Rd., Fort Pierce, FL 34981
(772) 462-3230
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
4132 Okeechobee Rd., Fort Pierce, FL 34947
(772) 462-1500
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
FL Dept of Health — St. Lucie
714 Avenue F, Fort Pierce, FL 34950
(772) 462-3800
FL DCF — St. Lucie
(772) 595-3400
FL Medicaid
(800) 299-4833
Lawnwood Regional Medical Center
lawnwoodmed.com
St. Lucie Medical Center
stluciemedical.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Hospital: Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital; Lawnwood Regional Medical Center (Fort Pierce – Level II trauma); St. Lucie Medical Center; St. Lucie algal bloom health monitoring critical
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Recommended for Florida
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