St. Lucie County | US Courthouses

St. Lucie County is named for Saint Lucie of Syracuse which was the name of a Spanish Fort built near Cape Canaveral in 1565.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Indian River County

E – Atlantic Ocean

S – Martin County

W – Okeechobee County

Created: May 24, 1905

County Seat:

Susanna 1844 – 1879

Titusville ( Brevard ) 1879 – 1905

Fort Pierce 1905 – present

County Courthouse – Fort Pierce

Location: 218 South 2nd Street / Atlantic Avenue

Built: 1959 – 1961 / 1988 – 1990

Style: Modern

Architect: James Samble – Roger, Lovelock & Fritz

Contractor: Bluttes Construction Corporation

Description: The building faces west and is a four story glass and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the County Courthouse Complex in the center of Fort Pierce. The building has a raised basement on the first story. There is a projecting one story entrance at the center of the west front. In the interior, the County Circuit Court historic courtroom is located on the fourth story. The building joins the modern three story addition on the south side and the County Clerk of Courts Building on the north side. In 1988 to 1990, a modern addition was constructed on the south side and which is a concrete, glass and polished stone structure. The north front has a large square portico supported by high pillars. Along the front are narrow vertical windows divided by vertical pillars. The roof line is flat. On the east side is a large glass wall. The building joins the courthouse on the north side. In the interior, the two building complex has fourteen courtrooms. The building houses the Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit and County Court. The addition architect was Stebbing & Scott and the contractor was M J Anderson.

County Clerk’s Office – Fort Pierce

Location: 221 South Indian River Drive / Atlantic Avenue

Built: 2005 – 2007

Style: Modern

Architect: Edlund Dritenbas Binkley

Contractor: Davis Brook Enterprises, Inc.

Description: The building faces north and is a five story brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds og the County Courthouse Complex in the center of Fort Pierce. The lower part of the building has brown colored brick and the upper part is yellow colored brick. The northeast corner has an octagonal tower with recessed entrance. Along the sides are tiers of white colored balconies. The building is connected on the south side to the courthouse. The building houses the Office of the Clerk of Courts.

See: The 19th Judicial Circuit includes Indian River County, Martin County and Okeechobee County.

See: The county is located in the Fourth Judicial District of the Court of Appeal – Fourth Judicial District located in West Palm Beach.

History: In 1565, Fort Saint Lucia was built by the Spanish at the Jupiter Inlet. In 1810, the area was known as East Florida and in 1821 became St. Johns County. In 1840, it became Mosquito County and then St. Lucie County in 1844 with county seat at Susanna. In 1880, it became part of Brevard County with county seat at Titusville. The present county was created in 1905 and Fort Pierce was selected as the county seat. The first courts met in the Fort Pierce Improvement Club Hall on North Second Street. The first courthouse was a two story red colored brick structure designed by H I Klopp and constructed by Mutual Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky in 1909 on South Second Street at a cost of $31,000. The second courthouse was constructed on the east side of the same site in 1959 to 1961. The 1909 courthouse was razed when the new courthouse was completed. An addition was constructed in 1988 to 1990.

County Administration Building – Fort Pierce

Location: 2300 Virginia Avenue / South 23rd Street

Built: 1986 – 1988

Style: Modern

Architect: Southeastern Corporation

Contractor: Robert F Wilson Inc.

Description: The building faces north and is a three story concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the on the southwest side of the center of Fort Pierce. On the east is the three story rectangular shaped section with glass panels across the north front with a recessed center entrance. The roof line is flat. On the west side is a long two story section with flat roof line which was constructed earlier in 1976 to 1977. The building is named as the Roger E Portras Building.

Other Branch Courthouses

Port St. Lucie