Public Conduct in Port St. Lucie, FL

If you live in Port St. Lucie or are thinking about moving there, public conduct are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Port St. Lucie has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of public conduct, and some of them might surprise you.

Public Alcohol Use

It is unlawful to consume or possess an open container of beer, wine or liquor within 500 feet of a licensed bar, restaurant or bottle club in Port St. Lucie unless you are inside a closed building or on a residential property, under Code Sec. 110.05.

Key details: Buffer distance: 500 feet from licensed premises. Exception: Inside buildings or on residential property. Required signage: 1 ft by 2 ft warning sign. Maximum fine: $500 and/or 60 days jail. License risk: 1-year revocation for repeat violations.

A violation of the open-container rule is punished under Sec. 110.09(a): a fine of up to $500.00, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense. Sec. 110.09(b) also lets the city sue to enjoin repeat violations and lets the city council revoke the occupational license of a bar or club whose premises repeatedly host offenses; a revoked license cannot be reissued for that location for at least one year.

Compared to other cities, Port St. Lucie takes a harder line on public alcohol use. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions

Port St. Lucie confines smoking to posted, designated smoking areas on city parks and other city properties under Code Sec. 96.26, added by Ord. No. 22-82 in September 2022. Lighting up on open lawns, playgrounds, ballfields, or building grounds outside those marked spots is a park-rule violation, enforced the same way as any other Chapter 96 offense.

Key details: Rule: Smoking confined to posted designated areas. Scope: City parks and all city properties. Adopted: Ord. No. 22-82, effective 9-26-22. Enforcement: Parks staff and police, ejection/TAW. First offense fine: $50 under Sec. 10.99.

Smoking outside a posted designated area on city property is enforced under Sec. 96.99's reference to the citywide general penalty in Sec. 10.99: $50 for a first offense, $200 for a second if paid within 30 days of the citation, and up to $500 plus court costs if contested. A third offense becomes a second-degree misdemeanor under Fla. Stat. Secs. 775.082 and 775.083. Parks staff or police can also eject a violator on the spot and issue a Trespass After Warning under Sec. 96.03.

Skateboarding Rules

Skateboards, along with bicycles, scooters, self-balancing transporters, and rollerblades, are allowed throughout Port St. Lucie parks under City Code Sec. 96.60, except on athletic fields, courts, playgrounds, or any area the city posts as off-limits. Riders must operate safely, park bikes in racks when provided, and motorized versions, other than disability wheelchairs, are banned outright on parkland, boardwalks, and sidewalks.

Key details: Skateboards: Allowed in parks except restricted areas. Banned areas: Athletic fields, courts, playgrounds. Motorized boards/scooters: Prohibited outright. Bike storage: Rack required when space available. Penalty route: Traffic-code penalty, Sec. 70.99 / F.S. 316.655.

Sec. 96.99(b) singles out Sec. 96.60 for the traffic-code penalty rather than the standard park fine schedule: a violation is punished as set forth in the city's traffic code penalty section, Sec. 70.99, which in turn applies the state penalty schedule under Fla. Stat. Sec. 316.655. Parks staff, the director, or police may also eject a rider from the park and issue a Trespass After Warning under Sec. 96.03 for a violation of this chapter.

Port St. Lucie is more permissive than most cities when it comes to skateboarding rules. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Port St. Lucie's public conduct rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Port St. Lucie is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Port St. Lucie's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.