Contact
Commissioner Sarah Heard, Chair
Email: sheard@martin.fl.us
Term of Office: 2022-2026
Executive Aide
Name: Sarah Philion
Phone: (772) 221-2358
Email: ComAide4@martin.fl.us
Additional Links
District 4: Eastern and Lower Central Martin County is represented by Commissioner Sarah Heard and includes Port Salerno and Tropical Farms. Commissioner Heard is the current Chair of the Martin County Board of County Commissioners.
Sarah Heard was raised on a farm and in a small town in southern Illinois. Sarah attended the University of Illinois in Champaign and graduated from Texas A&M’s Corpus Christi campus with a major in literature and a minor in history.
Sarah married Jeffrey Heard in 1980. He was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Boca Raton. Jeffrey is a pilot, first for the Navy, and recently retired from Delta Air Lines.
Elected as a Martin County Commissioner in 2002, Sarah continues to prioritize controlling over-development and protecting the residents and natural resources of Martin County.
Sarah has focused her advocacy on protecting the taxpayers and water resources of Martin County. She is a true fiscal conservative who understands the critical importance of maintaining a strong urban boundary in order to keep taxes low. Her biggest successes can be measured by the projects and funding for water restoration from the state and federal government since 2002.
The Indian River Lagoon South Plan was one of the first comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan components ever authorized and appropriated into federal law. Land for conservation has been purchased by both state and federal agencies. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been sent to Martin County to build projects to improve our ailing water quality. Much more needs to be done, and she is committed to attaining clean water for this and future generations.
She served as the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners from 2012-2014. Commissioner Heard is a member of Airport Noise Committee, Children’s Services Council, Law Library Committee, Pal Mar Water Control District and Canvassing Board. Commissioner Heard is very active in local organizations: League of Women Voters, Martin County Conservation Alliance, Garden Club of Stuart, Women’s Club of Stuart.
Achievements:
- Public Service Award for outstanding leadership and dedication to protect the Indian River Lagoon and Martin County’s Comprehensive Plan 2006 Martin County Conservation Alliance
- Pomeroy Civic Leader Award from the Woman’s Club of Stuart 2010
- Community Steward Award from 1000 Friends of Florida for her consistent advocacy for maintaining the integrity of Martin County comprehensive plan 2011
- Community Service Award from the Garden Club of Stuart 2014
- Susan B. Anthony Award from the League of Women Voters of Martin County 2016
Note: Florida has a very broad public records law. As a result, any written communication created or received by Martin County Board of County Commissioners' employees or elected officials is subject to disclosure to the public and the media, upon request, unless otherwise exempt. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.