Martin County, Florida

Martin County
	Martin County, Florida
	; Seal
	; Seal
	; Location in the state of Florida
	; Florida's location in the U.S.
Founded	May 30, 1925
Named for	John W. Martin
Seat	Stuart
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 752.79 sq mi (1,950 km²); 555.62 sq mi (1,439 km²); 197.18 sq mi (511 km²), 26.19%
Population; - (2010); - Density	; 146,318; 263/sq mi (101.68/km²)
Website	www.martin.fl.us

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This article is about Martin County, Florida. See Martin County for uses in other states.

The new Roosevelt Bridge

The Gazebo on the grounds of the new courthouse complex

The Old Martin County Courthouse, built in 1937

Golden Gate Building, built in 1925

Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660.^[1] Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 752.79 square miles (1,949.7 km²), of which 555.62 square miles (1,439.0 km²) (or 73.81%) is land and 197.18 square miles (510.7 km²) (or 26.19%) is water, much of it in the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Okeechobee.^[2]

Martin County is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

St. Lucie County, Florida - north
Palm Beach County, Florida - south
Hendry County, Florida - southwest (only point of contiguity is in the center of Lake Okeechobee)
Glades County, Florida - southwest (only point of contiguity is in the center of Lake Okeechobee)
Okeechobee County, Florida - northwest

[edit] National protected area

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge

[edit] 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%
^[3]^[4]

As of the census^[5] 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.

[edit] Government

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

[edit] Board of County Commissioners

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, Chair
2. Ed Fielding
3. Patrick Hayes
4. Sarah Heard
5. Ed Ciampi, Vice Chair

[edit] Constitutional Officers

The elected Constitutional Officers are:

Clerk (Clerk of Courts, County Clerk, etc.): Marsha Ewing
Property Appraiser: Laurel Kelly
Sheriff: Robert Crowder
Supervisor of Elections: Vicki Davis
Tax Collector: Ruth Pietruszewski

[edit] School District

The independent Martin County School District has an elected Superintendent of Schools and elected School Board, as follows:

The Superintendent, Nancy Kline (R), 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. Lorie Shekailo
- 2. Sue Hershey
- 3. Laurie Gaylord, Chair
- 4. Maura Barry-Sorenson
- 5. Dr. David Anderson

[edit] Cities, towns and other places

Downtown Stuart, in the heart of the county seat

[edit] Incorporated

Town of Jupiter Island
Town of Ocean Breeze Park
Town of Sewall's Point
City of Stuart

[edit] Unincorporated

Sunset from the intracoastal waterway at Hobe Sound

[edit] Attractions

Florida panther at Possum Long, September, 1992

Audubon of Martin County: Possum Long Nature Center, Palm Beach Road, Stuart^[6]
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

[edit] 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:^[7]

All Saints Episcopal Church, Waveland (Jensen Beach, Florida), 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