ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Newly elected St. Lucie County Commissioner Erin Lowry is under investigation over allegations that she did not live in her district when she was sworn into office.
Lowry’s swearing-in took place on Nov. 19, 2024, after winning the Nov. 5 election.
WATCH: A St. Lucie County resident filed complaints about Lowry
According to St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker, county commissioners are required by law to live in their district by the time they assume office. St. Lucie County resident and business owner Joe Edge filed the complaint in December.
He also spoke at a county commission meeting on Tuesday, claiming, “On November 19, she perjured herself. She lived outside her district.”
WPTV learned that Edge also sent complaints to the governor’s office, the Florida Ethics Commission, and the Florida Elections Commission, writing in part: "I am a completely disenfranchised taxpayer, resident, and voter in St. Lucie County, Florida. It has come to my attention that newly elected St. Lucie County Commissioner Erin Ann Lowry has perjured herself and misrepresented her residency within St. Lucie County. She did so knowingly and with intent to defraud the residents and every voter in St. Lucie County. When she filed to run for office, she knew or should have known the legal requirements of running for that office.”
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office reviewed the complaint, including information Edge obtained from a private investigator. The private investigator said he surveilled Lowry on election night and the night of her swearing-in ceremony, finding that she returned to her home, which was not in her district.
WPTV worked to independently verify some of the claims.
Through a records request to St. Lucie County, Lowry listed her home address on Nov. 19, 2024, as a home on NW Stratford Lane in Port St. Lucie. According to the county’s website, her address at that time was in Commissioner Jamie Fowler’s district, not the one she had been elected to represent.
County records show Lowry requested a change of address to a home on Dupre Street in December, which is in her district, according to the county’s commission district map. Utility records from the city of Port St. Lucie, requested by WPTV, also show a move-in date of Jan. 7 at the home on Dupre Street under Erin Lowry’s name.
WPTV’s Meghan McRoberts approached Lowry at a commission meeting in February to ask her about the allegations.
“So, I did talk to my legal team. I just can’t comment right now, but as soon as we are through the investigation, because everything right now is confidential, I’ll absolutely invite you to come back,” Lowry said.
WPTV asked if she’d state where she lived on Election Day.
Lowry responded, "I can’t give you any comments, but I promise you’ll have all the details in just a few weeks.”
WPTV also asked Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker if anyone verifies where candidates live before they are sworn into office. She declined an on-camera interview but responded in an email, stating: “When a candidate files paperwork for the office of County Commissioner, the residency requirements state that the candidate must live in the district at the time of election, not during the qualifying period when paperwork is filed with our office. My office is required to accept all filing paperwork received and has no authority regarding enforcement of the residency requirement.”
WPTV asked Martin County’s Supervisor of Elections, Vicki Davis, for more insight.
“It sounds like it’s an honor system?” WPTV’s Meghan McRoberts asked.
“It is an honor system,” Davis replied, adding that residents are encouraged to bring forward any potential residency issues they discover.
“Run in the district where you live," Davis said. "These candidates are being elected to be public servants. They’re there to serve their constituency. They're there to listen to their district and be a representative."
WPTV has asked the Florida Elections Commission for any updates on where the review stands and is still waiting for a response.
