List of counties in Florida

Counties of Florida
Location	State of Florida
Number	67
Populations	8,314 (Liberty) – 2,662,874 (Miami-Dade)
Areas	240 square miles (620 km^2) (Union) – 2,034 square miles (5,270 km^2) (Palm Beach)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	Communities

There are 67 counties in the state of Florida. It became a territory of the U.S. in 1821 with two counties complementing the provincial divisions retained as a Spanish territory: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the east, divided by the Suwanee River. All of the other counties were apportioned from these two original counties. Florida became the 27th U.S. state in 1845, and its last county was created in 1925 with the formation of Gilchrist County from a segment of Alachua County.^[1] Florida's counties are subdivisions of the state government. In 1968, counties gained the power to develop their own charters.^[2] All but two of Florida's county seats are incorporated municipalities. The exceptions are Crawfordville, county seat of rural Wakulla County,^[3] and East Naples, located outside Naples city limits in Collier County.

The names of Florida's counties reflect its diverse cultural heritage. Some are named for Southern political leaders and Spanish explorers, marking the influence of Spanish sovereignty, while others are named for Spanish saints, Native American placenames used by the Spanish, and political leaders of the United States. Natural features of the region, including rivers, lakes, and flora, are also commonly used for county names. Florida has counties named for participants on both sides of Second Seminole War: Miami-Dade County is partially named for Francis L. Dade, a Major in the U.S. Army at the time; Osceola County is named for a Native American resistance leader during the war.^[4]

Population figures are based on the 2010 United States Census. The population of Florida is 18,801,310, an increase of 17.6% from 2000. The average population of Florida's counties is 280,616; Miami-Dade County is the most populous (2,662,874) and Liberty County is the least (8,365). The average land area is 805 sq mi (2,085 km²). The largest county is Palm Beach County (2,034 sq mi, 5,268 km²) and the smallest is Union County (240 sq mi, 622 km²). The total area of the state is 65,795  sq miles; of this, the land area of the state constitutes 53,927 square miles (139,670 km²) while the water area constitutes 11,868  sq miles.^[5][6]

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) is used by the U.S. government to uniquely identify counties, and is provided for each entry. These codes link to the United States Census Bureau's "quick facts" for each county. Florida's FIPS code of 12 is used to distinguish from counties in other states. For example, Alachua County's unique nationwide identifier is 12001.^[7]

Counties

County	INCITS [7]	County seat [8]	Established [4]	Formed from [9]	Etymology [4]	Density	Population [10]	Area [5][8]	Map
Alachua County	001	Gainesville	1824	Duval and St. Johns	From a Seminole-Creek word meaning "jug", apparently in reference to the sinkholes common in the area[11]	285.31	249,365	874 sq mi (2,264 km^2)
Baker County	003	Macclenny	1861	New River	James McNair Baker (1821–1892), a Confederate senator and later a judge in the fourth judicial district	46.42	27,154	585 sq mi (1,515 km^2)
Bay County	005	Panama City	1913	Calhoun and Washington	St. Andrew's Bay, the central geographic feature of the county	222.32	169,856	764 sq mi (1,979 km^2)
Bradford County	007	Starke	1858	Columbia named New River until 1861	Richard Bradford, the first officer from Florida to die in the Civil War; he was killed during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island	96.43	28,255	293 sq mi (759 km^2)
Brevard County	009	Titusville	1844	Hillsborough and Mosquito named St. Lucie until 1855[12]	Theodore Washington Brevard, early settler and later state comptroller from 1853 to 1861[12]	533.95	543,566	1,018 sq mi (2,637 km^2)
Broward County	011	Fort Lauderdale	1915	Dade and Palm Beach	Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (1857–1910), 19th Governor of Florida from 1905 to 1909	1472.43	1,780,172	1,209 sq mi (3,131 km^2)
Calhoun County	013	Blountstown	1838	Franklin, Jackson, and Washington	John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) leading Southern politician from South Carolina	26.01	14,750	567 sq mi (1,469 km^2)
Charlotte County	015	Punta Gorda	1921	DeSoto	Probably a corruption of the name of the Calusa, a group of Native Americans from the area	231.28	160,511	694 sq mi (1,797 km^2)
Citrus County	017	Inverness	1887	Hernando	The county's citrus trees	239.78	140,031	584 sq mi (1,513 km^2)
Clay County	019	Green Cove Springs	1858	Duval	Henry Clay (1777–1852), Secretary of State from 1825 to 1829 under John Quincy Adams	320.08	192,370	601 sq mi (1,557 km^2)
Collier County	021	East Naples	1923	Lee	Barron Collier (1873–1939), an advertising entrepreneur who developed much of the land in southern Florida	161.96	328,134	2,026 sq mi (5,247 km^2)
Columbia County	023	Lake City	1832	Alachua	Christopher Columbus (c. 1451–1506), explorer of the Americas	84.67	67,485	797 sq mi (2,064 km^2)
DeSoto County	027	Arcadia	1887	Manatee	Hernando de Soto (c. 1496/1497–1542), a Spanish explorer and conquistador	54.78	34,894	637 sq mi (1,650 km^2)
Dixie County	029	Cross City	1921	Lafayette	Dixie, the common nickname for the Southern United States	23.42	16,486	704 sq mi (1,823 km^2)
Duval County	031	Jacksonville	1822	St. Johns	William Pope Duval (1784–1854), the first governor of the Florida Territory	1124.95	870,709	774 sq mi (2,005 km^2)
Escambia County	033	Pensacola	1821	One of the two original counties	Disputed origin; possibly from the Native American word Shambia, meaning "clear water"	450.47	299,114	664 sq mi (1,720 km^2)
Flagler County	035	Bunnell	1917	St. Johns and Volusia	Henry Morrison Flagler (1830–1913), founder of the Florida East Coast Railway	200.78	97,376	485 sq mi (1,256 km^2)
Franklin County	037	Apalachicola	1832	Gadsden and Washington	Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America	21.72	11,596	534 sq mi (1,383 km^2)
Gadsden County	039	Quincy	1823	Jackson	James Gadsden (1788–1858), American diplomat and namesake of the Gadsden Purchase	89.44	46,151	516 sq mi (1,336 km^2)
Gilchrist County	041	Trenton	1925	Alachua	Albert W. Gilchrist (1858–1926), the 20th Governor of Florida	48.72	17,004	349 sq mi (904 km^2)
Glades County	043	Moore Haven	1921	DeSoto	The Florida Everglades	16.32	12,635	774 sq mi (2,005 km^2)
Gulf County	045	Port St. Joe	1925	Calhoun	The Gulf of Mexico	28.04	15,844	565 sq mi (1,463 km^2)
Hamilton County	047	Jasper	1827	Jefferson	Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804), the first United States Secretary of the Treasury and a Founding Father	28.49	14,671	515 sq mi (1,334 km^2)
Hardee County	049	Wauchula	1921	DeSoto	Cary A. Hardee (1876–1957), governor of Florida at the time of creation of Hardee County	43.78	27,887	637 sq mi (1,650 km^2)
Hendry County	051	LaBelle	1923	Lee	Francis A. Hendry (1833–1917), early Floridian pioneer and politician	33.90	39,089	1,153 sq mi (2,986 km^2)
Hernando County	053	Brooksville	1843	Alachua and Hillsborough named Benton from 1844 to 1850	Hernando de Soto (c.1496/1497–1542), a Spanish explorer and conquistador	362.12	173,094	478 sq mi (1,238 km^2)
Highlands County	055	Sebring	1921	DeSoto	Named for the county's hilly terrain	95.94	98,630	1,028 sq mi (2,663 km^2)
Hillsborough County	057	Tampa	1834	Alachua	Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire (1718–1793), former Secretary of State for the Colonies	1206.26	1,267,775	1,051 sq mi (2,722 km^2)
Holmes County	059	Bonifay	1848	Jackson and Walton	Holmes Creek, which forms the eastern boundary of the county	41.23	19,873	482 sq mi (1,248 km^2)
Indian River County	061	Vero Beach	1925	St. Lucie	The Indian River Lagoon, which flows through the county	276.13	138,894	503 sq mi (1,303 km^2)
Jackson County	063	Marianna	1822	Escambia	Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), the seventh President of the United States	53.81	49,292	916 sq mi (2,372 km^2)
Jefferson County	065	Monticello	1827	Leon	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence	24.51	14,658	598 sq mi (1,549 km^2)
Lafayette County	067	Mayo	1856	Madison	Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), French aristocrat and general in the American Revolutionary War	16.47	8,942	543 sq mi (1,406 km^2)
Lake County	069	Tavares	1887	Orange and Sumter	Named for the many lakes in the region	315.86	301,019	953 sq mi (2,468 km^2)
Lee County	071	Fort Myers	1887	Monroe	Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War	785.24	631,330	804 sq mi (2,082 km^2)
Leon County	073	Tallahassee	1824	Gadsden	Juan Ponce de León (1474–1521), Spanish explorer who named Florida	416.75	277,971	667 sq mi (1,728 km^2)
Levy County	075	Bronson	1845	Alachua	David Levy Yulee (1810–1886), one of the state's original United States Senators	35.92	40,156	1,118 sq mi (2,896 km^2)
Liberty County	077	Bristol	1855	Gadsden	The patriotic ideal of liberty	9.94	8,314	836 sq mi (2,165 km^2)
Madison County	079	Madison	1827	Jefferson	James Madison (1751–1836), fourth President of the United States	27.62	19,115	692 sq mi (1,792 km^2)
Manatee County	081	Bradenton	1855	Hillsborough	The manatee, or sea cow, is native to Florida waters.	441.49	327,142	741 sq mi (1,919 km^2)
Marion County	083	Ocala	1844	Alachua, Hillsborough, and Mosquito	Francis Marion (c. 1732–1795), military officer during the American Revolution	210.59	332,529	1,579 sq mi (4,090 km^2)
Martin County	085	Stuart	1925	Palm Beach	John W. Martin (1884–1958), governor of Florida at time of creation of the county	265.28	147,495	556 sq mi (1,440 km^2)
Miami-Dade County	086	Miami	1836	Monroe named Dade until 1997	City of Miami and Francis L. Dade (c. 1793–1835), Major in the United States Army during the Second Seminole War	1313.50	2,662,874	1,946 sq mi (5,040 km^2)
Monroe County	087	Key West	1823	St. Johns	James Monroe (1758–1831), fifth President of the United States	74.10	73,873	997 sq mi (2,582 km^2)
Nassau County	089	Fernandina Beach	1824	Duval	Duchy of Nassau in Germany	113.80	74,195	652 sq mi (1,689 km^2)
Okaloosa County	091	Crestview	1915	Santa Rosa and Walton	A native word meaning "a pleasant place," "black water", or "beautiful place"	196.03	183,482	936 sq mi (2,424 km^2)
Okeechobee County	093	Okeechobee	1917	Osceola and St. Lucie	Lake Okeechobee, which was in turn is from the Hitchiti words for "big water"	51.86	40,140	774 sq mi (2,005 km^2)
Orange County	095	Orlando	1824	St. Johns named Mosquito until 1845	The fruit that was the county's main product	1287.56	1,169,107	908 sq mi (2,352 km^2)
Osceola County	097	Kissimmee	1887	Brevard and Orange	Osceola (1804–1838), a leader of the Seminole during the Second Seminole War	208.90	276,163	1,322 sq mi (3,424 km^2)
Palm Beach County	099	West Palm Beach	1909	Dade	The county's large amounts of palm trees The biggest county in Florida	656.43	1,335,187	2,034 sq mi (5,268 km^2)
Pasco County	101	Dade City	1887	Hernando	Samuel Pasco (1834–1917), United States Senator at the time of creation of the county	626.12	466,457	745 sq mi (1,930 km^2)
Pinellas County	103	Clearwater	1912	Hillsborough	From the Spanish Punta Piñal, or "Point of Pines"	3276.42	917,398	280 sq mi (725 km^2)
Polk County	105	Bartow	1861	Brevard and Hillsborough	James K. Polk (1795–1849), the 11th President of the United States	325.06	609,492	1,875 sq mi (4,856 km^2)
Putnam County	107	Palatka	1849	Alachua and St. Johns	Benjamin A. Putnam (1801–1869), soldier during the Second Seminole War and Floridian legislator	102.55	74,041	722 sq mi (1,870 km^2)
St. Johns County	109	St. Augustine	1821	One of the two original counties	Name derived from the St. Johns River, which in turn derives its name from San Juan del Puerto	321.55	195,823	609 sq mi (1,577 km^2)
St. Lucie County	111	Fort Pierce	1905	Brevard	Saint Lucy (283–304), the Christian martyr	490.17	280,379	572 sq mi (1,481 km^2)
Santa Rosa County	113	Milton	1842	Escambia	Santa Rosa Island, which is in turn named for Saint Rosa de Viterbo (1235–1252), a saint born in Viterbo, Italy	151.68	154,104	1,016 sq mi (2,631 km^2)
Sarasota County	115	Sarasota	1921	Manatee	Native American word, of uncertain meaning, for the area	668.20	382,213	572 sq mi (1,481 km^2)
Seminole County	117	Sanford	1913	Orange	The Seminole Native American tribe	1380.10	425,071	308 sq mi (798 km^2)
Sumter County	119	Bushnell	1853	Marion	Thomas Sumter (1734–1832), general in the American Revolution	179.04	97,756	546 sq mi (1,414 km^2)
Suwannee County	121	Live Oak	1858	Columbia	The Suwannee River, a 266-mile long river in northern Florida	61.01	41,972	688 sq mi (1,782 km^2)
Taylor County	123	Perry	1856	Madison	Zachary Taylor (1784–1850), 12th President of the United States	21.78	22,691	1,042 sq mi (2,699 km^2)
Union County	125	Lake Butler	1921	Bradford	Named for the area's residents united desire to split into a separate county	64.12	15,388	240 sq mi (622 km^2)
Volusia County	127	DeLand	1854	Orange	The port of Volusia, whose etymology is uncertain; possibly derived from the Native American word for "Land of the Euchees," the term for the area's native inhabitants	447.38	494,804	1,106 sq mi (2,865 km^2)
Wakulla County	129	Crawfordville	1843	Leon	The Wakulla River, itself named for a Spanish corruption of a Timucuan word used to describe the body of water, but that is of uncertain meaning	51.03	30,978	607 sq mi (1,572 km^2)
Walton County	131	DeFuniak Springs	1824	Escambia and Jackson	George Walton, first Secretary of Florida Territory	52.73	55,793	1,058 sq mi (2,740 km^2)
Washington County	133	Chipley	1825	Jackson and Walton	George Washington (1732–1799), first President of the United States	42.99	24,935	580 sq mi (1,502 km^2)

Former counties

Fayette County was created in 1832 from the portion of Jackson County east of the Chipola River, with county seat at Ochesee (now in Calhoun County east of Altha).^[13][14] In 1834 it was merged back into Jackson County.^[15]

Renamed counties

Five counties in Florida have been renamed. Most renamings occurred between 1845 and 1861, during the first sixteen years of Florida's statehood. One occurred in 1997, when Dade County changed its name to Miami-Dade County.

County[4]	Dates[4]	Etymology[4]	Fate[4]
Benton County	1844–1850	Thomas Benton (1782–1858), U.S. Senator from Missouri who supported the Armed Occupation Act of 1842 that many Floridians wanted in order to evict Native Americans	Original name of county was Hernando County, and the name was changed back to that in 1850
Dade County	1836–1997	Francis L. Dade (c. 1793–1835), Major in the United States Army during the Second Seminole War	Changed to Miami-Dade County in 1997, in order to benefit from the City of Miami's internationally-recognizable name
Mosquito County	1824–1845	Taken from the name the Spanish had given the entire coast, "Los Mosquitos"	Mosquito had already repeatedly ceded land to other counties by 1845, when it was renamed Orange County
New River County	1858–1861	The New River	Renamed to Bradford County in 1861
St. Lucie County	1844–1855	Saint Lucy (283–304), the Christian martyr	Renamed Brevard County in 1855

Proposed counties

Two counties were proposed in Florida's state legislature, but neither actually became counties. A bill was passed by the legislature to create Bloxham County, but residents did not vote to approve it. See Leigh Read County, Florida for the events surrounding the proposed county.

County[4]	Proposal date[4]	Etymology[4]	Notes
Bloxham County	1915[16]	William D. Bloxham (1835–1911), 13th and 17th Governor of Florida	county seat at Williston
Leigh Read County	1842	Leigh Read, legislator	proposed renaming of Mosquito County
Miami County[17]	1947	City of Miami	consolidated city-county
Ocean County	1991	Atlantic Ocean	Jacksonville Beaches

See also

Population by county:

  0-49,999

  50,000-99,999

  100,000-199,999

  200,000-299,999

  300,000-499,999

  500,000-749,999

  750,000-999,999

  1,000,000-1,499,999

  1,500,000-1,999,999

  2,000,000+

• Florida
• List of municipalities in Florida
• List of places in Florida

References

Specific

1. "A Guide to Alachua County's History". Alachua County Florida. Archived from the original on October 6, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
2. "About Florida's Counties". Florida Association of Counties. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
3. "Demographics". Wakulla County Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
4. "Florida County Maps". Florida Center for Instructional Technology – University of South Florida. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
5. "Florida QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 23, 2008. (2008 Census estimates)
6. "Population Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. December 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010. (updated 2008 population estimate)
7. "United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) County FIPS Code Listing". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
8. "NACo – Find a county". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
9. Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries: Florida, accessed May 2014
10. "Florida QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
11. Morris, Allen, Florida Place Names
12. Eriksen, John M., Brevard County, Florida...A Short History to 1955
13. An Act to organise a county to be called the County of Fayette, Act No. 53 of 1832
14. An Act, more accurately to define the boundaries of Fayette County, and for other purposes, Act No. 31 (Chapter 688) of 1833
15. An Act to repeal certain acts organizing the County of Fayette, Act No. 26 (Chapter 765) of 1834
16. An Act Providing for the Creation of Bloxham County in the State of Florida, and for the Organization and the Government Thereof, Act No. 130 (Chapter 6936) of 1915
17. An Act Providing the Manner, Method and Means of the Election and Creation of a Charter Board in the Territory now Comprising Dade County; Providing for the Drafting and Adopting of the Charter Prepared by Said Board for Said Territory; Providing for the Election of Commissioners of a New Political Subdivision in the Territory now Comprising Dade County to be Known as the County of Miami; Providing the Effective Date of Said Charter and the Time the Board of Commissioners Shall Take Office; and Providing that This Act Shall not Become Effective Until the Joint Resolution No. 407 has Been Approved by the Qualified Electors of Dade County and of the State of Florida as a Whole, Act No. 853 (Chapter 24467) of 1947

General

• Atlas of Florida, revised edition. Edward A. Fernald & Elizabeth D. Purdum, editors (University Press of Florida, 1996). "Evolution of Counties", pp. 98–99.