Explore the county map of Florida. There are 67 counties in US states of Florida and Florida became a territory of US in 1821 with 2 counties complementing the provincial divisions retained as a Spanish territory.
Counties of Florida
S.N.
County
County seat
1
Alachua County
Gainesville
2
Baker County
Macclenny
3
Bay County
Panama City
4
Bradford County
Starke
5
Brevard County
Titusville
6
Broward County
Fort Lauderdale
7
Calhoun County
Blountstown
8
Charlotte County
Punta Gorda
9
Citrus County
Inverness
10
Clay County
Green Cove Springs
11
Collier County
East Naples
12
Columbia County
Lake City
13
DeSoto County
Arcadia
14
Dixie County
Cross City
15
Duval County
Jacksonville
16
Escambia County
Pensacola
17
Flagler County
Bunnell
18
Franklin County
Apalachicola
19
Gadsden County
Quincy
20
Gilchrist County
Trenton
21
Glades County
Moore Haven
22
Gulf County
Port St. Joe
23
Hamilton County
Jasper
24
Hardee County
Wauchula
25
Hendry County
LaBelle
26
Hernando County
Brooksville
27
Highlands County
Sebring
28
Hillsborough County
Tampa
29
Holmes County
Bonifay
30
Indian River County
Vero Beach
31
Jackson County
Marianna
32
Jefferson County
Monticello
33
Lafayette County
Mayo
34
Lake County
Tavares
35
Lee County
Fort Myers
36
Leon County
Tallahassee
37
Levy County
Bronson
38
Liberty County
Bristol
39
Madison County
Madison
40
Manatee County
Bradenton
41
Marion County
Ocala
42
Martin County
Stuart
43
Miami-Dade County
Miami
44
Monroe County
Key West
45
Nassau County
Fernandina Beach
46
Okaloosa County
Crestview
47
Okeechobee County
Okeechobee
48
Orange County
Orlando
49
Osceola County
Kissimmee
50
Palm Beach County
West Palm Beach
51
Pasco County
Dade City
52
Pinellas County
Clearwater
53
Polk County
Bartow
54
Putnam County
Palatka
55
Santa Rosa County
Milton
56
Sarasota County
Sarasota
57
Seminole County
Sanford
58
St. Johns County
St. Augustine
59
St. Lucie County
Fort Pierce
60
Sumter County
Bushnell
61
Suwannee County
Live Oak
62
Taylor County
Perry
63
Union County
Lake Butler
64
Volusia County
DeLand
65
Wakulla County
Crawfordville
66
Walton County
DeFuniak Springs
67
Washington County
Chipley
Forida Counties
Florida is divided into 67 counties, and each county has its own geographical, historical and economic characteristics. The counties are used for local governance and play a key role in the delivery of public services and local economic development. Florida is the 22nd largest state in the United States in terms of land area, covering approximately 65,758 square miles. The population, land area, and economic output of the counties are quite diverse, which is typical of Florida because of its vast variety of coastline and its interior farmland.
Geography and Climate
The geography of Florida counties is also rather complex since the state is located on the coast and has a subtropical climate. Many of the coastal counties, including Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, are highly developed with extensive development of the shoreline. Inland counties, including Polk, Marion and Lake are spacious and have abundant agriculture and freshwater. The Florida Keys' Monroe County is special for its location – a chain of coral islands in the Gulf of Mexico. Florida counties’ climate is mostly warm with a humid subtropical climate in the north and tropical in the south, which serves as a major tourist and recreational area.
Historical Background
The creation of the counties of Florida goes back to the days of the territory. St. Johns and Escambia were the first two counties created in 1821 when Florida became a U.S. territory. As the population of the state increased, more counties had to be created to ease management and control. Some of the counties like Hillsborough, Duval and Leon are of historical importance as they were settled by the Spanish and British respectively. The counties of Florida were also important during the Civil War, Reconstruction and the economic growth of the 20th century, especially with the growth of the tourism and real estate industries.
Population Distribution
The population of Florida's counties is quite diverse with Miami-Dade being the largest and with population over 2.7 million citizens, followed by Broward and Palm Beach counties. The smallest population is Liberty County which has less than 10,000 people. The demographic composition of the counties represent a combination of cultural influences and have a significant Hispanic population in South Florida, especially in Miami-Dade where more than 60 percent of the people are of Hispanic or Latino origin. Many of the counties have grown very fast in the last few decades through domestic migration and international immigration, thus making Florida one of the most populous states in the country.
Economic Landscape
Economies of Florida's counties are diverse and depend on tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. Orange County, which has Orlando as its hub, is driven by tourism, with Walt Disney World and Universal Studios as its major economic engines. Tampa is situated in Hillsborough County which has a robust financial sector, port industry and healthcare infrastructure. The Panhandle's Bay and Okaloose counties depend on military bases, and the southwest's Collier and Lee counties cash in on real estate development and eco-tourism. The agricultural counties—Hendry and Okeechobee—are pivotal producers of citrus, cattle, and sugarcane, thus playing a key role in maintaining Florida's status as the nation's leading citrus producer.
Governance and Administration
Each Florida county runs under a government structure that is often led by a Board of County Commissioners who make the legislative decisions. Daily operations are typically overseen by a county administrator or manager, some, like Miami-Dade and Duval, have consolidated city-county governments that streamline administrative functions. Law enforcement, public education, infrastructure maintenance, and emergency services are all responsibilities of county government. Florida’s counties also play a big role in disaster preparedness, especially for hurricanes, due to the state’s tendency to be hit by tropical storms.
Education and Healthcare
Florida is supported by its counties for a robust educational system, in which each county has its own school district. The largest school district in the state and the fourth largest in the U.S. is Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The local economies receive a significant boost from higher education institutions like the University of Florida in Alachua County, and Florida State University in Leon County. Healthcare services are also county dependent, such as major medical centers are in more urban counties like Orange, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough. Rural counties have difficulties with the availability of specialized healthcare services and may rely on regional facilities for advanced medical treatment.
