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Martin County, Florida
Stuart FL new crths01
Martin County Courthouse
Seal of Martin County, Florida
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Martin County
Location in the state of Florida
Map of the U.S
Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded May 30, 1925
Named for John W. Martin
Seat Stuart
Largest community Palm City
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

753 sq mi (1,950 km²)
543 sq mi (1,406 km²)
209 sq mi (541 km²), 27.8%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

158,431
295/sq mi (114/km²)
Congressional district 18th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.martin.fl.us
Roosevelt Bridge, Stuart, Florida 001

The new Roosevelt Bridge

Martin County is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the state of Florida, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,431.[1] Its county seat is Stuart.[2] Martin County is in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History[]

Martin County was created in 1925 with the northern portion coming from St. Lucie County and southern portion coming from Palm Beach County. It was named for John W. Martin, Governor of Florida from 1925 to 1929.

When the county was created, the western contour followed the shore of Lake Okeechobee, as did the borders of Glades, Okeechobee, and Hendry counties. Palm Beach County had historically claimed all of the surface of the lake as part of its area, to its benefit for the distribution of state and federal highway funds. The state representative of Martin County, William Ralph Scott of Stuart, initiated a bill to divide the lake among its adjacent counties, creating a more equitable distribution of state funds for road creation and maintenance. All bordering counties confirmed the justice of this change and supported its ratification, with the exception of Palm Beach County. Representatives from Palm Beach County later presented Representative William Scott with a jug of water, signifying "all the water Bill Scott left Palm Beach County." The jug is in the possession of Stuart Heritage.

Geography[]

Climate chart for Hobe Sound, FL[3]
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.4
 
73.4
50.9
 
 
2.6
 
75.4
53.4
 
 
3.9
 
78
56.9
 
 
2.9
 
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3.5
 
85.8
66.5
 
 
6.9
 
89.1
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6.3
 
90.5
72.8
 
 
7.3
 
90.5
73.1
 
 
7.1
 
88.9
72.3
 
 
5.0
 
85
67.3
 
 
3.1
 
79.8
60.2
 
 
2.4
 
74.9
54.5
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 753 square miles (1,950 km2), of which 543 square miles (1,410 km2) is land and (27.8%) is water.[4] It is the fifth-largest county in Florida by land area, and fifty-third largest by total area.

Adjacent counties[]

National protected area[]

  • Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge

Environment[]

Martin County Shore Protection Project[]

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Martin County Shore Protection Project includes nourishment of approximately 3.75 miles of beach extending from the St. Lucie County line south to the Stuart Public Beach Park in Martin County. Included in the project is restoration of the primary dune and a 35-foot-wide protective berm. The renourishment interval for this project is every 7 years.[5]

The last renourishment of the Martin County Shore Protection Project was completed in May 2013 and included a Flood Control and Coastal Emergency component due impacts incurred with the passage of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The next renourishment event is scheduled for 2019.[5]

The estimated total cost of this project is $69.9 million, $32.5 million of which is to be paid for by the U.S. Federal Government. In Fiscal Year 2015, no funding was appropriated to the project by the U.S. Congress. In the Fiscal Year 2016 U.S. President's Budget Request to the U.S. Congress, no funding dollars was requested for the project.[5]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1930 5,111
1940 6,295 23.2%
1950 7,807 24.0%
1960 16,932 116.9%
1970 28,035 65.6%
1980 64,014 128.3%
1990 100,900 57.6%
2000 126,731 25.6%
2010 146,318 15.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[1]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 126,731 people, 55,288 households, and 36,213 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 per square mile (88 /km2). There were 65,471 housing units at an average density of 118 per square mile (46 /km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.88% White, 5.27% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.72% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 7.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000 there were 55,288 households, out of which 21.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.50% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.60% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 28.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,083, and the median income for a family was $53,244. Males had a median income of $36,133 versus $27,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,584. About 5.60% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 5.20% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation[]

Airports[]

  • Indiantown Airport
  • Naked Lady Ranch Airport (private)[11]
  • Witham Field

Major highways[]

  • I-95 Interstate 95
  • Florida's Turnpike shield Florida's Turnpike
  • US 1 U.S. Highway 1
  • US 98 U.S. Highway 98
  • US 441 U.S. Highway 441
  • Florida A1A State Road A1A
  • Florida 76 State Road 76
  • CR 707 jct County Road 707
  • Florida 710 State Road 710
  • Florida 714 State Road 714
  • Florida 732 State Road 732

Trails[]

The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail, passes through Martin County.

Government[]

Martin County is a non-chartered county and its form of government is prescribed by the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes, as follows:

Board of County Commissioners[]

Tabebuia caraiba

Tabebuia off Savanna Road in Jensen Beach. April 2010. Typical of such trees blooming throughout Martin county in the spring

The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body of the county and has charge of all county executive and administrative functions, except those assigned by the Constitution to independent county officers or to the independent school district. The board also has some quasi-judicial functions. Some of functions exercised by the board are county-wide, while others are applicable only in the unincorporated areas of the county, where the board has many of the functions of a municipality. The county commissioners are elected by county-wide vote, but each one represents a specific district. The board appoints the county administrator who is responsible to it for the day-to-day operations of the county government. The current county commissioners by district number are:

  • 1. Doug Smith, Vice Chair
  • 2. Stacey Hetherington, Chair
  • 3. Harold Jenkins
  • 4. Sarah Heard
  • 5. Edward Ciampi

Constitutional officers[]

The elected Constitutional officers are:

  • Clerk (Clerk of Courts, County Clerk, etc.): Carolyn Timmann
  • Property Appraiser: Jenny Fields
  • Sheriff: William Snyder
  • Supervisor of Elections: Vicki Davis
  • Tax Collector: Ruth Pietruszewski

School district[]

The independent Martin County School District has a board appointed superintendent of schools and an elected school board, as follows:

  • The superintendent, Dr. John D. Millay,[12] is the chief administrator of the district.
  • The school board is the legislative body of the district and also exercises quasi-judicial powers. School Board members are elected county wide but each one represents a specific district. The current board members by district are:
    • 1. Marsha Powers, Chair
    • 2. Tony Anderson, Vice Chair
    • 3. Christia Li Roberts
    • 4. Victoria Defenthaler
    • 5. Michael DiTerlizzi [13]

Electoral politics[]

Martin County is a long-standing Republican stronghold which has not supported a Democrat for the White House since Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1944.

United States presidential election results for Martin County, Florida[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 61,168 61.82% 36,893 37.29% 881 0.89%
2016 53,204 61.41% 30,185 34.84% 3,244 3.74%
2012 48,183 60.96% 30,107 38.09% 747 0.95%
2008 44,143 56.22% 33,508 42.67% 871 1.11%
2004 41,362 57.09% 30,208 41.69% 883 1.22%
2000 33,972 54.78% 26,621 42.93% 1,423 2.29%
1996 28,522 52.18% 20,855 38.16% 5,279 9.66%
1992 24,800 46.63% 14,802 27.83% 13,582 25.54%
1988 31,279 72.60% 11,488 26.66% 316 0.73%
1984 28,900 76.28% 8,978 23.70% 9 0.02%
1980 20,521 68.05% 8,087 26.82% 1,546 5.13%
1976 11,682 56.28% 8,785 42.33% 289 1.39%
1972 11,296 78.83% 2,946 20.56% 88 0.61%
1968 5,179 50.63% 2,580 25.22% 2,471 24.15%
1964 4,292 54.24% 3,621 45.76% 0 0.00%
1960 3,701 58.15% 2,664 41.85% 0 0.00%
1956 2,997 68.36% 1,387 31.64% 0 0.00%
1952 2,308 64.65% 1,262 35.35% 0 0.00%
1948 948 44.84% 815 38.55% 351 16.60%
1944 530 35.57% 960 64.43% 0 0.00%
1940 596 36.93% 1,018 63.07% 0 0.00%
1936 327 29.59% 778 70.41% 0 0.00%
1932 379 31.48% 825 68.52% 0 0.00%
1928 703 58.05% 474 39.14% 34 2.81%



Libraries[]

The Martin County Library System has 6 branches.

  • Blake Library (Stuart)
  • Elisabeth Lahti Library (Indiantown)
  • Hobe Sound Public Library (Hobe Sound)
  • Hoke Library (Jensen Beach)
  • Peter & Julie Cummings Library (Palm City)
  • Robert Morgade Library (South Stuart)

Attractions[]

Florida panther at Audubon Center, Stuart, Florida

Florida panther at Possum Long, September, 1992

  • Audubon of Martin County: Possum Long Nature Center, Palm Beach Road, Stuart
  • Elliott Museum on Hutchinson Island
  • Jonathan Dickinson State Park in South Martin County
  • Martin County Fair held every February.
  • Martin County Public Beaches:
    • Hobe Sound Public Beach on Jupiter Island
    • Jensen Sea Turtle Beach, Stuart Beach and many beach strips on Hutchinson Island.
  • Savannas Preserve State Park (extends into St. Lucie County)
  • St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park on Long Island east of Port Salerno and north of Jupiter Island

Historic areas[]

On the National Register of Historic Places:

  • Hobe Sound
    • Olympia School, 1925
    • Trapper Nelson Zoo Historic District, located south of Hobe Sound is inside Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southern Martin County, 1933
  • Hutchinson Island
    • House of Refuge at Gilbert's Bar, 1876
    • Georges Valentine Shipwreck Site, 1904
  • Indiantown
    • Seminole Inn, 1926
  • Jensen Beach
    • Mount Elizabeth Archeological Site, prehistoric
    • Stuart Welcome Arch, 1926
    • Tuckahoe, 1938
  • Jupiter Island
    • Gate House, 1927
  • Stuart
    • Burn Brae Plantation-Krueger House, 1894
    • Lyric Theatre, 1927
    • Old Martin County Courthouse, 1937

Other historic areas listed in 1989 by the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects:[15]

  • All Saints Episcopal Church, Waveland, 2377 N.E. Patrician Street, 1898,
  • Bay Tree Lodge (Kiplinger House), 143 S. River Road (originally 104 S. Sewall's Point Road), Sewall's Point, 1909
  • Dudley-Bessey House, 110 S.W. Atlanta Avenue, Stuart, 1909
  • Dyer Homestead, 1006 S.W. St. Lucie Crescent, Stuart, 1904
  • Feroe Building, 73 S.W. Flagler Avenue, corner of St. Lucie, Stuart, 1913
  • France Apartments, 524 St. Lucie Crescent, Stuart, 1927
  • Golden Gate Building, 3225 S.E. Dixie Highway in Golden Gate south of Stuart, 1925
  • Kitching House, 210 S.W. Atlanta Avenue, Stuart, 1894
  • Stuart Feed Store, 101 S.W. Flagler Avenue, Stuart, 1905
  • Sunrise Inn, S.E. Old St. Lucie Boulevard, Port Sewall. ca. 1925 (demolished)
  • John E. Taylor House, 204 S.E. Atlanta Avenue, Stuart, 1914

Other places listed in 2012 by the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in its Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.[16]

  • Beach Road 2, Jupiter Island

Communities[]

StuartFlorida-skyline

Downtown Stuart, in the heart of the county seat

City[]

Towns[]

  • Jupiter Island
  • Ocean Breeze
  • Sewall's Point

Villages[]

  • Indiantown

Census-designated places[]

HobeSoundFlorida-sunset

Sunset from the Intracoastal Waterway at Hobe Sound

  • Hobe Sound
  • Jensen Beach
  • North River Shores
  • Palm City
  • Port Salerno
  • Rio

Other unincorporated places[]

  • Hutchinson Island (part)
  • Port Mayaca

Gallery[]

See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Martin County, Florida

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/14085.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ http://www.usa.com/hobe-sound-fl-weather.htm#HistoricalTemperature
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html. 
  5. ^ a b c "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fact Sheet - Martin County Shore Protection Project". http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Portals/44/docs/CongressionalFS/2015/Martin_County_FL_BEC_%28C%29_CFS15.pdf. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/fl190090.txt. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  11. ^ "Naked Lady Ranch Airport". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:309903. 
  12. ^ "Superintendent" (in en). https://www.martinschools.org/Page/7706. Retrieved February 23, 2021. 
  13. ^ "Archived copy". https://www.martinschools.org/Domain/170. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  15. ^ A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 137, ISBN 0-8130-0941-3
  16. ^ "Start Voting for Your Favorite Florida Architecture!". http://www.aiaflatop100.org/Current-Standings.cfm. 

External links[]

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Coordinates: 27°05′N 80°24′W / 27.08, -80.40


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Martin County, Florida. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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