Resident alleges county commissioner lived outside district when sworn, files complaint

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, resident and business owner Joe Spedge addressed the board to allege that Commissioner Erin Lowry did not live in District 3 at the time she filed to run and at the time she was sworn in.

Spedge identified himself as a Port St. Lucie resident of 35 years and said he filed a complaint with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 16 (case number provided in his remarks) alleging perjury and related offenses. He told the board that Lowry's primary address when she filed to run was 338 Northwest Stratford Lane in the St. James Club and that, according to his account, she continued to live there through the primary and general elections and at the time of her swearing-in on Nov. 19.

Spedge said he had also applied to the city for water and sewer service for a separate address within the district and that he would email documentation to the board for the record. He cited an attorney general opinion and Florida statute when arguing that residency requirements impose criminal consequences; he described his complaint as alleging perjury and alleged unlawful receipt of pay, which he characterized as potential felony conduct under state law.

The chair accepted Spedge's comments into the record; no action was taken during the meeting on the allegations. The board did not discuss or respond substantively to the claims during the public-comment period recorded in the transcript.

Because these remarks were made during public comment, they are recorded as an allegation by a member of the public. The county did not announce any investigation result or board action at the meeting. The transcript indicates Spedge submitted his full statement to the board by email for the public record.