Fort Pierce, Florida Legal Overview The City of Fort Pierce is the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida. The St. Lucie County Circuit Court is the main trial court with general jurisdiction over cases from Fort Pierce and the rest of the county. This court comes under the 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County are additionally served by the limited jurisdiction St. Lucie County Court. Both courts are located in the county courthouse in Fort Pierce. The county court has an additional “South County” annex in the city of Port St. Lucie.
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1. The circuit criminal division located in Fort Pierce has exclusive jurisdiction on all felonies. Misdemeanor cases and criminal traffic violations may be tried in the county criminal divisions in both Fort Pierce as well as Port St. Lucie. Similarly, the circuit civil division in Fort Pierce has exclusive jurisdiction on civil cases exceeding $15,000, while cases involving amounts below $15,000 can be filed with the county civil divisions in both cities, along with small claims not exceeding $5,000 and landlord-tenant disputes including evictions. The circuit court’s family law division handles divorce, paternity, child custody/support hearings and domestic relations matters.
Trending Fort Pierce, Florida Legal Topics: St. Lucie County Court verdict appeals must be filed with the St. Lucie County Circuit Court’s appellate division. Appeals against the circuit court must in turn be filed with the Fourth District Court of Appeal, which is located in West Palm Beach. This is an intermediate appellate court, and the only further avenue of appeal left in the state judicial system afterwards is the Florida Supreme Court. The federal court for Fort Pierce and other parts of St. Lucie County is the Fort Pierce Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. |