History of Clerks Office
The St. Lucie County Clerk's office was established when St. Lucie County was carved out of Brevard County in 1905. Florida's constitution authorizes each county to have an elected Clerk, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and Sheriff. John Enos Fultz, Jr., a resident of Fort Pierce, became the first Clerk of the Circuit Court for the newly formed county.
Fultz became a resident of the Treasure Coast in 1891 after having lost his wife and having his home in Rockledge (Brevard County) destroyed by fire. He homesteaded 160 acres on Winter Creek, now called Blakeslee Creek, which feeds into the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The area became known as Spruce Bluff. Fultz rowed and sailed the St. Lucie River to Stuart and back to deliver mail. He began his 11-year tenure getting paid $10 a month.
| Clerk | Years |
|---|---|
| J.E. Fultz | 1905 - 1916 |
| P.C. Eldred | 1917 - 1932 |
| W.R. Lott | 1933 - 1950 |
| Raymond Ford | 1950 - 1950 |
| Bill Baggett | 1951 - 1960 |
| Roger Poitras | 1961 - 1986 |
| Douglas Dixon | 1986 - 1992 |
| JoAnne Holman | 1993 - 2004 |
| Edwin M. Fry Jr. | 2005 - 2008 |
| Joseph E. Smith | 2009 - 2020 |
| Michelle R. Miller | 2021 - present |
Roger Poitras served the longest term as Clerk with 25 years. He began serving as Clerk in 1961 and served until dying in office at the age of 69 on Dec. 8, 1986. During his tenure, the office began adapting to the use of computers. Poitras also objected to a proposed county charter amendment that would have eliminated the Clerk's ability to safeguard taxpayer funds.
Michelle R. Miller was elected Clerk in 2020 and took office in January 2021.
