Martin County, Florida

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 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

| Hobe Sound, FL |50.9|73.4|2.4 |53.4|75.4|2.6 |56.9|78|3.9 |60.5|81.7|2.9 |66.5|85.8|3.5 |71.3|89.1|6.9 |72.8|90.5|6.3 |73.1|90.5|7.3 |72.3|88.9|7.1 |67.3|85|5.0 |60.2|79.8|3.1 |54.5|74.9|2.4

Adjacent counties

• St. Lucie County – north
• Palm Beach County – south
• Hendry County – southwest
• Glades County – southwest
• Okeechobee County – northwest

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.

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.

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.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 158,431, a median age of 53.3 years, 16.5% of residents under the age of 18, and 31.4% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.8 males.

As of the 2020 census, there were 68,750 households, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 49.0% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and 40,328 families resided in the county.

As of the 2020 census, there were 81,371 housing units, of which 15.5% were vacant; among occupied units, 77.4% were owner-occupied and 22.6% were renter-occupied, with homeowner and rental vacancy rates of 2.1% and 9.8%, respectively.

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 78.6% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.8% from some other race, and 8.6% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 15.3% of the population.

As of the 2020 census, 92.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 7.3% lived in rural areas.

Racial and ethnic composition

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 126,731 people, 55,288 households, and 36,213 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 /sqmi. There were 65,471 housing units at an average density of 118 /sqmi. 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, 18.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.30% was from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 28.20% was 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)
• Witham Field

Major highways

Main article: List of county roads in Martin County, Florida

Buses

Martin County Public Transit (MARTY) is the fixed-route public bus service operated by the county.

Intercity rail

Brightline officially announced that an infill station on the Treasure Coast would be built in Stuart and begin service by 2028.

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

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.

Constitutional officers

The elected Constitutional officers are:

• Clerk (Clerk of Courts, County Clerk, etc.)
• Property Appraiser
• Sheriff
• Supervisor of Elections
• Tax Collector

School district

The independent Martin County School District has a board appointed superintendent of schools and an elected school board, with members listed on the Board Web site. 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.

Electoral politics

Martin County is a long-standing Republican stronghold; it has not supported a Democratic candidate for the presidency since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.

Voter registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans make up a majority of registered voters in Martin County, followed by unaffiliated voters and Democrats.

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 (a location adjoining Indian River State College)

Attractions

• 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:
• 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.
• Beach Road 2, Jupiter Island

Communities

City

• Stuart

Towns

• Jupiter Island
• Ocean Breeze
• Sewall's Point

Villages

• Indiantown

Census-designated places

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

Other unincorporated places

• Hutchinson Island (part)
• Port Mayaca

Gallery

File:MartinCountyFlaCourthouseComplex Gazebo.JPG|The Gazebo on the grounds of the new courthouse complex File:OldMartinCountyFlaCourthouse 012.JPG|The Old Martin County Courthouse, built in 1937 File:Golden Gate Building, Stuart, Florida 001.JPG|Golden Gate Building, built in 1925 File:st. lucie river from sp.jpg|View of St. Lucie River and Stuart from Sewall's Point File:St Lucie Inlet aerial view.jpg|View of St. Lucie Inlet and Sailfish Point File:USACE St Lucie Lock and Dam.jpg|St. Lucie Locks and Dam

References

References

1. (April 29, 2022). "QuickFacts Martin County, Florida".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. National Park Service. (1985). "Governor John W. Martin House (Report)".
4. "Hobe Sound, FL Weather - USA.com™".
5. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fact Sheet - Martin County Shore Protection Project".
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "Explore Census Data".
16. "Explore Census Data".
17. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. {{Cite GNIS. 309903. Naked Lady Ranch Airport
19. "BRIGHTLINE ANNOUNCES STATION EXPANSION FOR DOWNTOWN STUART & MARTIN COUNTY".
20. (2024-12-18). "Florida county applies for federal funds for Brightline station".
21. "Meet the Clerk".
22. "Jenny Fields, CFA Martin County Property Appraiser".
23. "School Board".
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
25. "Our Campaigns".
26. "Voter Registration - By County and Party".
27. [http://audubonmartincounty.org/directions.html Audubon of Martin County: Possum Long Nature Center] {{webarchive. link. (October 9, 2008)
28. ''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 137, {{ISBN. 0-8130-0941-3
29. "Start Voting for Your Favorite Florida Architecture!".