PORT SALERNO, FLORIDA

Port Salerno, Florida is a residential and fishing village in unincorporated Martin County on the south side of Stuart.

It is located along the waters of the St. Lucie River near the inlet to the Atlantic Ocean.

Port Salerno Fisherman from Florida State Archives

Its waterfront district is located at the south end of Manatee Pocket. The main highway through town is State Road A1A and the waterfront district is adjacent to the highway.

You can see the district in the lower right hand corner of the aerial photo below.

Manatee Pocket in Foreground Looking East

Manatee Pocket is well known by boaters as a natural "hurricane hole", as good a place to take shelter in a bad storm as any harbor along the east coast of Florida.

The shoreline of Manatee Pocket is busy with fishing related enterprises like charter boats, commercial fishing boats, marinas, boatyards, and seafood restaurants.

Boatyards and Marinas on Manatee Pocket

Port Salerno was founded in 1894 as Salerno and the "Port" was added in 1924. The name had been chosen by some of the earlier settlers who were from the Italian town of Salerno.

Most people in the early years made their livings by fishing commercially or working in nearby pineapple farms. In the 1930s, Port Salerno became well known for its shark industry.

The population of the Port Salerno area is about 10,000, but it is contiguous with the larger and busier Stuart and is often considered part of that town.

The residential areas are east of the waterfront district on a large peninsula separated from nearby Jupiter Island by Great Pocket, a section of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Many cruising yachts stay at the marinas in the area during the winter; others stay there year around.

Port Salerno Fisherman's Cottage

Fishing with large nets was banned by the State in 1995, and the commercial fishing industry was devastated.

Since then, the marine industry has taken the place of many of the commercial fishing establishments.

Although marinas and boat yards are all over the area, commercial fishing is still important to the town's economy.

People today like to visit the area's many nautical shops and seafood restaurants.

Port Salerno Boardwalk on Manatee Pocket

Martin County government and local citizens have been busy in recent years with preservation and improvement projects.

An example is the Manatee Pocket walk, a board walk around a portion of the Manatee Pocket waterway.

The goal of these projects has been to preserve the historic fishing village feel of the town and not let it become just another overcrowded Florida waterfront.

Port Salerno, Florida Recommended Restaurant

The Twisted Tuna
4290 SE Salerno Rd
Stuart, Florida 32324
Tel: 772-600-7239

The Twisted Tuna is on the shoreline of Port Salerno.  It offers a beautiful view of the water that surrounds it on two sides, and is well known for its delicious seafood offerings. You can visit the restaurant by land or on a boat.

The Twisted Tuna, Port Salerno

The interior is bright and open, and you have your choice of dining inside or outside on one of the decks. The menu features something for everyone, but seafood is the specialty of the house.

The atmosphere is friendly and inviting, and the service is great. The restaurant and bar quite often feature local musicians.

READ MORE ABOUT THE TWISTED TUNA

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