PLACEMENT: Departmental
TITLE:
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2026 POPULATION TECHNICAL BULLETIN
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
executive summary
This is a request for the Board of County Commissioners to approve the updated Population Technical Bulletin containing the population estimates and projections for Martin County and its municipalities.
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DEPARTMENT: Growth Management
PREPARED BY: Name: Samantha Lovelady, AICP
Title: Principle Planner
REQUESTED BY: Paul Schilling, Growth Management
PRESET:
PROCEDURES: None
BACKGROUND/RELATED STRATEGIC GOAL:
Section 163.3177(1)(f)3, Florida Statues, states “[t]he comprehensive plan shall be based upon permanent and seasonal population estimates and projections, which shall either be those published by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research or generated by the local government based upon a professionally acceptable methodology.” The Population Technical Bulletin is based primarily on U.S. Census data and data provided by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) for the State of Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) for population estimates and projections.
BEBR produces a series of high, medium and low projections and is used in intervening years between the census to derive population estimates and projections. The Population Technical Bulletin uses the BEBR medium permanent estimates and projections to generate population data for the County, the municipalities and for the unincorporated areas. The County then uses U.S. Census, BEBR and other data to generate population projections for planning purposes using a professionally accepted methodology.
Policy 4.1D.2. of the Martin County Growth Management Plan (CGMP) requires the County to produce the population technical bulletin. Various elements of the CGMP, such as Future Land Use, Housing and Capital Improvements Elements, are directly based on population data. The appropriate resident and seasonal population figures are critical to the local government in assessing future needs for services, facilities, and residential housing.
The Population Technical Bulletin contains three sections: (i) General Statistics for Martin County; (ii) Population Estimates and Projections Methodology, Population Estimates and Projections for Municipalities and the Unincorporated Area; and (ii) Planning Area Estimates and Projections.
Attachments:
2026 Population Technical Bulletin
Florida Estimates of Population, 2025
BEBR’s Projections of Florida Population by County, 2030-2050 with Estimates for 2025. Volume 59, Bulletin 203, February 2026
ISSUES:
None.
LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW:
This item has been reviewed for legal sufficiency to determine whether it is consistent with applicable law, and staff have identified and addressed legal risks and developed strategies for legal defensibility, as applicable.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECOMMENDATION
Move that Board approve the 2026 Population Technical Bulletin.
ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Continue the item and/or provide direction to staff regarding changes to the Population Technical Bulletin.
FISCAL IMPACT:
RECOMMENDATION
None
ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
None
DOCUMENT(S) REQUIRING ACTION:
☐Budget Transfer / Amendment ☐ Chair Letter ☐Contract / Agreement
☐Grant / Application ☐Notice ☐Ordinance ☐Resolution
☒Other: 2026 Population Technical Bulletin