February 24, 2005 - Clerk of Court Now Accepting Credit Card Payments

The St. Lucie County Clerk of the Court is taking steps to make it easier for the public to make payments at the clerk's office by now accepting credit cards. No longer will the public have to bring cash or money orders to pay a fee at the clerk's office.

"As one of my first acts in office, I felt it was important to reach out to the contingency by moving the clerk's office into the modern age. At times, using a credit card is a simple and convenient method of payment," said Edwin M. Fry, Jr., Clerk of the Court of St. Lucie County. "I feel this is a beneficial system that will really take off."

Previously, money orders and cash were the accepted forms of payment. But after hearing requests from the public for alternative payment methods, the clerk's office has responded by adding credit cards as a payment option. Currently, the Traffic and the Official Records Departments are already accepting credit cards. As of March 1, 2005, the remaining departments (Marriage License, Small Claims, Circuit Civil, Probate, Family Relations, Family Support, Research Department, Misdemeanor and Felony) will all have the capability of accepting credit card payments. Also for traffic citations only, the clerk's office will accept credit card payments by telephone at 772-462-6965 or 772-871-5380. The citation must be entered on our computer for the payment to be accepted over the telephone.

St. Lucie is one of 36 counties statewide to begin accepting credit card payments through the MyFloridaCounty.com payment system. The system has been in operation by the Florida Association of Court Clerks since July of 2003. Credit cards accepted are: Visa, MasterCard and Discover. There is a convenience fee of 3.2% or a minimum of $2.50 per credit card payment.

The St. Lucie County Clerk of the Court's office is located at 218 South 2nd Street, Fort Pierce; Orange Blossom Business Center, 4132 Okeechobee Road, Fort Pierce; and 250 N.W. Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie and is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact Edwin Fry, Clerk of the Court, at (772) 462-1977.