[11] The city was named after the Fort Pierce army post which was built nearby in 1838 during the Second Seminole War, and lasted until 1842.

The neighborhood of Lincoln Park, the area north of Moore's Creek, originated as Edgartown.

[13] Lincoln Park each February hosts a celebration of the artwork of the African-American collective of landscape artists formed in the 1950s.

Over the course of 2001 to 2020, Gary Monroe wrote several books on the artwork of the 26 artists known as Highwaymen (including one woman).

[18] According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Fort Pierce Beach Shore Protection project includes 1.3 miles (2.1 km) of shore-line running from immediately south of the Fort Pierce Inlet southward to Surfside Park.

Sand for the project is dredged from an approved offshore borrow area known as the Capron Shoal and then pumped via a pipeline onto the 1.3 miles (2.1 km) of beach south of the Fort Pierce Inlet.

The sponsor, St. Lucie County, is preparing a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) for the project at their own expense that will evaluate extending Federal participation for an additional 50 years.

In 2000, the marine protected area was expanded to 300 square nautical miles (1,030 km2) and prohibited all gears that caused mechanical disruption to the habitat.

Due to the devastation caused at the Fort Pierce City Marina by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004, FEMA mandated a plan to ensure that the rebuilt facility would be protected from future such events before FEMA would release funding for the repairs.

The "core" of the islands was constructed of TITANTubes, sometimes referred to as geotextile tubes or geotubes, manufactured by Flint Industries and covered by a coastal marine mattress and then armor stone.

[27] According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an average of 350,000 tons of waterborne commerce moves through the Port of Fort Pierce annually.

Major commodities which are dependent on the port include citrus exports, cement and aragonite imports.

The last navigation improvements at Fort Pierce were authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 1988, and construction was completed in August 1996.

On June 3, 2002, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) approved funding, expanding the bus service to Martin County, and it became the Treasure Coast Connector.

Until a strike beginning in 1963, several long-distance passenger trains from Chicago, Cincinnati and New York City made stops there, en route to Miami.

[52] In 2023, Brightline, an inter-city rail route that currently runs between Miami and Orlando, announced that it was looking for sites for a new station on the Treasure Coast.