Port St. Lucie Background Check
Background check records for Port St. Lucie are managed by the St. Lucie County Clerk of Court. Port St. Lucie is the largest city in St. Lucie County with close to 259,000 people. It has grown fast over the past two decades and is now one of the bigger cities on Florida's Treasure Coast. The clerk's office in Fort Pierce handles all court records for Port St. Lucie, including criminal cases, civil suits, and family law filings. You can search these records online or visit the courthouse in person for copies.
Port St. Lucie Quick Facts
Which County Handles Port St. Lucie Records
Port St. Lucie is in St. Lucie County. The county seat is Fort Pierce, not Port St. Lucie. So the main courthouse and clerk's office are in Fort Pierce, about 15 miles north. Clerk Michelle R. Miller runs the office. All court records for Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, and the rest of the county are stored at the Fort Pierce courthouse.
This is important to know if you plan to visit in person. You go to Fort Pierce, not Port St. Lucie. The clerk handles all criminal and civil case files for the entire county. For more on how St. Lucie County processes background checks, visit the St. Lucie County background check page.
| Clerk | Michelle R. Miller |
|---|---|
| Address | 201 S Indian River Dr, Ft. Pierce, FL 34950 |
| Phone | (772) 462-6900 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Website | stlucieclerk.com |
Note: The clerk's office is in Fort Pierce, not Port St. Lucie. Plan your trip accordingly if you need to visit the courthouse.
Port St. Lucie City Resources
The City of Port St. Lucie has its own government services and municipal records. While court records are kept at the county level in Fort Pierce, the city handles things like code enforcement, permits, and municipal violations.
Visit cityofpsl.com for city-level services and records in Port St. Lucie.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department handles law enforcement within the city. They maintain arrest records and incident reports for their jurisdiction. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated areas and runs the county jail. Both agencies report arrest data to FDLE. A statewide FDLE search will catch records from either agency, giving you a more complete picture for a background check in Port St. Lucie.
How to Search Background Check Records
Start at the St. Lucie County Clerk's website. Go to stlucieclerk.com and use the online case search. Enter a name and the system pulls up all matching cases. Each result shows the case type, filing date, charges, and status. This is free to use and covers all of St. Lucie County, including Port St. Lucie.
For a wider search, use FDLE. The CCHInet portal lets you run a statewide criminal history check for $24. You submit a name and get results by email. This pulls records from all 67 Florida counties, so it covers Port St. Lucie and everywhere else in the state. Most results arrive within one business day.
The MyFloridaCounty portal has official recorded documents from St. Lucie County. Liens, judgments, and property records are searchable there. These can add useful context to a background check that court case searches might not show.
- St. Lucie Clerk online search: free
- FDLE name-based check: $24
- MyFloridaCounty records: free to search
- Plain copies: $0.15 per page
- Certified copies: $1.00 per page
FDLE Checks for Port St. Lucie
FDLE runs the Florida criminal history database from Tallahassee. Records from Port St. Lucie feed into this system through the St. Lucie County courts and local law enforcement. The name-based Level 1 check costs $24 at CCHInet. Results come by email.
Level 2 checks require fingerprints. You need to visit a LiveScan provider in the Port St. Lucie or Fort Pierce area. The Florida Health Source site has a list of providers. Level 2 checks search both the state and FBI databases and are needed for certain licenses under Chapter 435 of Florida Statutes.
The FDLE system has arrests, charges, and outcomes from the St. Lucie County court system and all law enforcement in the area. It includes corrections data and probation records too. This makes it a broader source than the clerk's case search for a Port St. Lucie background check.
Public Records Access
Florida's public records law under Chapter 119 gives broad access to government records. You can request background check records from St. Lucie County without living in Port St. Lucie. You do not need a reason. The clerk must provide the records unless they are legally exempt.
Sealed and expunged records are not available. Juvenile records have limits. Active investigations may be held back. Everything else is open. If an agency refuses your request, the Attorney General's Open Government office can assist you.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department also handles public records requests for their own files. Contact them directly for police incident reports and arrest records from within city limits. For court records, go through the county clerk in Fort Pierce.
Fees for Port St. Lucie Background Checks
The clerk's online case search is free. You can look up names and view case info at no cost. If you need copies, the fees are standard across Florida. Plain copies cost $0.15 per page. Certified copies are $1.00 per page. You pay at the clerk's counter in Fort Pierce.
FDLE charges $24 for a name-based check. Level 2 fingerprint checks have additional fees from the LiveScan provider. Call the provider ahead of time to confirm the total cost. If you cannot pay the court fees, you may file an In Forma Pauperis request to ask for a fee waiver. The judge will review your finances and decide.
St. Lucie County Background Check Records
Port St. Lucie is in St. Lucie County, and all court records go through the county clerk in Fort Pierce. The clerk's office handles criminal cases, civil suits, and other filings for the entire county. For the full county page with more search details and resources, visit the St. Lucie County background check page.