How to Acquire Your St. Lucie County FL Police Report

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How to Acquire Your St. Lucie County FL Police Report

If you or your loved one has been injured in a traffic accident within St. Lucie County, your first call is 9-1-1. The agency will get as much detail as possible from the caller and dispatch the needed first responders, and a law enforcement officer from the agency with jurisdiction over your location. 

The investigating officer gathers the involved parties’ information and assigns a case number — be sure you take note of that, along with the officer’s name and badge number. The officer has ten shifts to complete and submit the police report, which will be reviewed and approved before going into the system (approximately 10 days after the accident).  

Your next call should be to someone who will put your rights and needs (and those of your family) where they should be — in first place. Legal advice can be priceless at a time like this and Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd is ready to take your call now at (866) 460-1990.  

Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd is happy to share this resource page as a public service for our communities. Personal research with each law enforcement agency was made to give our neighbors on the Treasure Coast clear steps to access their police reports; along with applicable guidelines from the State of Florida.

Legal Parameters for St. Lucie County Police Reports

Florida was the first state to adopt the Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, as an extension of the Public Records Law of 1909. At the forefront of open government, Florida has become the benchmark for regulations which demand openness in government and business. Police report records in St. Lucie County are a good example of the way that the Sunshine Law protects its citizen’s rights, while increasing public trust ‘through willing transparency.’     

Regulations for the supervision, control, and lawful release of Florida’s law enforcement traffic crash reports are defined in Section 316.066​. The following outline describes the 2-step process of an official record, as it moves from confidential status to an open public record.  

Confidential Period – First 60 Days

Once the police report has been submitted by the investigating officer to their law enforcement agency, the 60-day confidentiality timeline begins. This custodial measure protects the privacy rights of ‘exempt parties,’ giving them time to assess the facts and implications in the report. 

‘Exempt parties’ are defined as those persons involved in the specific traffic accident, along with their legal representatives and insurance carrier, along with certified media. 

During the confidential period, a request for a police report copy requires the valid photo ID of a party listed on the report. The law enforcement agency, at its discretion, may demand this proof in the form of a ‘sworn statement’ witnessed by a notary or law officer. 

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles provides this downloadable and fillable affidavit, which you may submit in person, by mail, or by email along with your request. All sworn statements must include the promise that the requested documents won’t be used for the solicitation of crash victims, or be disclosed to a 3rd-party for similar use.

Public Record – After 60 Days

After the 60-day confidentiality deadline has passed, the police reports are now deemed to be ‘public record.’ As such, according to Florida Law, they may be accessed by any party upon payment of the statutorily required fee of $10.00 per a report, plus a $2.00 convenience fee per transaction.

‘Public record’ police reports do not require signature, nor identification or sworn statements. You may request a public record online at the new Florida Crash Portal. 

St. Lucie County Law Enforcement Jurisdictions

After a traffic accident, your police report will be filed by the investigating officer’s agency. Please read through the following 3 designated agencies to see which department will have jurisdiction over your accident location.

Police Departments 

Traffic accidents that happen within city limits are under the jurisdiction of their city police department. To obtain these records, please visit our resource pages for Port St. Lucie, Tradition and Fort Pierce where you will learn more specifics acquired from their records custodians. Each agency has its own process, but all regulations are aligned with the legal parameters of St. Lucie County and the State of Florida.  

St. Lucie County Sheriff  

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has jurisdiction over all non-municipal areas of St. Lucie County — including census-designated places (CDPs) such as St. Lucie Village and Lakewood Park — as well as unincorporated towns and communities.   

The records department manager suggests that you call or come into their office during the confidential timeline. There is no fee for a single copy of the police report. The order of easiest access for the clerk to find your record is involved party name, case number, and then location.  

Once the police report has become a public record, you may purchase a copy online at the Florida Crash Portal for a $12.00 fee. 

Contact information for requesting these police reports in person, by mail, email or phone, are provided as follows:

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office

Records Custodian

4700 W Midway Road

Fort Pierce, FL 34981

Phone: 772-462-3299, ask for traffic records

Email: [email protected]  

Hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Days: Monday – Friday

Closed: Holidays

Website  

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) 

If your traffic accident happens on Florida’s Interstate or state highways, then the Florida Highway Patrol has jurisdiction. These officers may also respond to severe emergencies on surface streets within St. Lucie County.

During the 60-day confidential timeline, you may obtain a police report copy in person by visiting the jurisdictional FHP office. When the police report 60-day timeline has passed, your FHP accident report is now public record and may be purchased online at the Florida Crash Portal. 

For St. Lucie County, the closest FHP office is provided below:

Florida Highway Patrol

2929 N 25th Street 

Fort Pierce, FL 34946

Phone: (850) 617-3416, option #1  

St. Lucie County Personal Injury Lawyers

Hoskins, Turco, Lloyd & Lloyd has you covered — with 4 separate office locations along the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee. For over 35 years we have dedicated ourselves to providing our local communities with a strong legal advantage.   

To clarify and streamline the process of acquiring your police report, we have researched the websites and contacted the records clerks of all the individual law enforcement agencies listed above. Should you have further questions please contact our law firm at (866) 460-1990 for a free consultation with one of our St. Lucie County traffic accident attorneys!