St. Lucie County Bench Warrants

Bench warrants in St. Lucie County are issued by judges in the 19th Judicial Circuit when someone misses a court date or fails to follow a court order. The St. Lucie County Clerk of Court and the Sheriff's Office both track and serve these warrants from the Fort Pierce area. You can search for active bench warrants through the clerk's online case search, the sheriff's office, or the FDLE statewide warrant database. All bench warrants become public records under Florida law once served. This page explains how to search for, understand, and resolve bench warrants in St. Lucie County.

St. Lucie County Clerk of Court

Michelle Miller serves as the Clerk of Court in St. Lucie County. The main office is at 201 South Indian River Drive in Fort Pierce, Florida 34950. You can call (772) 462-6900 for general questions about your case. The St. Lucie County Clerk website provides access to court records, public records requests, and case lookup tools. The clerk handles all filings for the 19th Judicial Circuit courts in St. Lucie County. If you need to check on a bench warrant, the clerk staff can look it up by name or case number during business hours.

The St. Lucie County Clerk website is shown below and gives access to court records and case search tools.

St. Lucie County has some limits on what you can view online. Per Florida Supreme Court Administrative Orders, some case types are not viewable through the online system. Document images for guardianship, probate, and family cases are only available to registered users. The clerk makes no warranties about the completeness or accuracy of online data, so checking directly with the office is a good idea for bench warrant confirmation.

Search St. Lucie County Bench Warrants Online

St. Lucie County has a dedicated online court case search tool. The St. Lucie County court case search lets you look up cases by name, case number, or date. The system includes cases dating back to 1993. You can view case documents, court costs, upcoming court dates, parties involved, charges, and sentences. This is a free tool that anyone can use from home. Results show whether a bench warrant is active or has been resolved.

The St. Lucie County court case search page is shown here.

Keep in mind that the online system gets updated on a schedule. Brand new bench warrants in St. Lucie County may take a day or two to appear in search results. Not all warrants may be visible online right away. Some are held by officers before entry into the public system. For the most current information, contact the clerk at (772) 462-6900.

The FDLE database at fdle.state.fl.us is another free resource for checking St. Lucie County bench warrants. The state system pulls data from all 67 Florida counties and updates every 24 hours. You can search by first name, last name, or date of birth. Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge issues a bench warrant when probable cause exists and a person has failed to comply with court orders.

Note: FDLE warns that their warrant data should not be used as the sole basis for any legal action or as probable cause for an arrest.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Warrants

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office is the agency that serves bench warrants in the county. They are at 4700 West Midway Road in Fort Pierce, Florida 34981. You can call (772) 462-7300 for questions about warrants. Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve a bench warrant. A warrant from St. Lucie County can be served in any other Florida county. The arrest can happen on any day at any time. There are no restrictions on when law enforcement can act on a bench warrant.

If you believe you have a bench warrant in St. Lucie County, voluntary surrender is the best approach. You can turn yourself in at the St. Lucie County Jail or contact the sheriff's office first. The 19th Judicial Circuit covers St. Lucie, Indian River, Martin, and Okeechobee counties, so warrant data is shared across all of those offices. A bench warrant from St. Lucie County will show up during encounters with law enforcement in neighboring counties too.

St. Lucie County Bench Warrant Penalties

Failing to show up for court in St. Lucie County brings serious consequences. Under Florida Statute 843.15, failure to appear on a felony charge is a third-degree felony. That means up to five years in prison. Failure to appear on a misdemeanor is a first-degree misdemeanor with up to one year in jail. These are new charges added on top of the original case. The bench warrant itself is a separate legal problem from what you were originally in court for in St. Lucie County.

Bench warrants in Florida do not expire. Search warrants expire after 10 days under Florida Statute 933.05, but bench warrants stay active indefinitely. A bench warrant from years ago in St. Lucie County is still valid and enforceable today. It will come up during a traffic stop, at the airport, or during any contact with law enforcement. The warrant remains in the FCIC and NCIC databases until it gets resolved. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring someone before the court for sentencing.

Resolving Bench Warrants in St. Lucie County

If you have a bench warrant in St. Lucie County, get legal advice before you do anything else. A criminal defense attorney can review your case and work out the best plan. They may be able to file a motion to quash or recall the warrant. This is especially useful for old cases or minor charges. Walking into court voluntarily gets you a better result than being arrested without warning.

To take care of a bench warrant in St. Lucie County:

• Hire an attorney to file a motion to quash the warrant
• Turn yourself in at the St. Lucie County Jail
• Contact the sheriff's office at (772) 462-7300
• Call the clerk at (772) 462-6900 for case details

Watch out for scam calls. Law enforcement in St. Lucie County will never ask for phone payments to clear a bench warrant. No gift cards or wire transfers. Under Florida Statute 88.3051, a court can issue a bench warrant, capias, or writ of bodily attachment when a person does not appear after proper notice. Bench warrant records in St. Lucie County are public under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, the Sunshine Law. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association connects all 67 county clerk offices through the eWarrants system, making St. Lucie County warrant data available to law enforcement statewide.

Cities in St. Lucie County

St. Lucie County has several cities and towns. All bench warrants in the county are handled through the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Fort Pierce. Port St. Lucie is the only city in St. Lucie County with a population over 75,000.

Other places in St. Lucie County include Fort Pierce and St. Lucie Village. Bench warrants for residents of these areas are handled at the St. Lucie County courthouse in Fort Pierce.

Nearby Counties

These counties border St. Lucie County. Make sure your bench warrant is in the right county before you take action. Each county has its own clerk and sheriff that handle warrants.