| County: | Flagler County |
| State: | Florida |
| Founded Year: | 1917 |
| Founded Date: | April 28 |
| Seat Wl: | Bunnell |
| Largest City Wl: | Palm Coast |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 571 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 485 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 85 |
| Area Percentage: | 15.0% |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Pop: | 115378 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Density Sq Mi: | 238 |
| Web: | www.flaglercounty.org |
| District: | 6th |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Ex Image: | Bunnell, FL, Courthouse, Flagler County, 08-08-2010 (2).JPG |
| Ex Image Cap: | Flagler County Courthouse in Bunnell |
Flagler County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 115,378.[1] Its county seat is Bunnell, and the largest city is Palm Coast.[2] [3] Created in 1917 from portions of Saint Johns and Volusia Counties, it was named for Henry Flagler, who built the Florida East Coast Railway.
Flagler County is included in the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, and is also included in the Orlando–Deltona–Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area.
In 1974, Marco Polo Park, a theme park off Interstate 95 opened. It was never profitable and closed soon after.
In 1998, when two brush fires threatened to become one huge brush fire in Flagler County, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for the entire county. This was the first and so far the only time a whole county was evacuated in Florida for a wildfire.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (15.0%) is water.[4]
| White (NH) | 72,860 | 84,291 | 76.14% | 73.06% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 10,470 | 10,537 | 10.94% | 9.13% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 223 | 291 | 0.23% | 0.25% | |
| Asian (NH) | 2,020 | 2,450 | 2.11% | 2.12% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 47 | 59 | 0.05% | 0.05% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 290 | 704 | 0.3% | 0.61% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,535 | 4,747 | 1.6% | 4.11% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8,251 | 12,299 | 8.62% | 10.66% | |
| Total | 95,696 | 115,378 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 95,696 people, 39,186 households, and 27,843 families residing in the county. The population density was 197.1 people per square mile. There were 48,595 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 82.3% White, 11.4% Black or African American. 8.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,049, and the median income for a family was $58,327.
Flagler county was ranked the fastest-growing county in the nation by the US Census Bureau from 2000 to 2005, boasting a 53.3% change, with a July 1, 2005, population estimate at 76,410. As of 2016 the largest ancestry group in the county was English-American at 18.1% of the county, followed by German-American at 12.7% and Irish-American also at 12.7%.[8]
According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a plurality of registered voters in Flagler County.
| Flagler County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of July 31, 2022[10] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Party | Total Voters | Percentage | ||||
| Republican | align = center | 42,471 | align = center | 45.00% | ||
| Democratic | align = center | 26,332 | align = center | 27.89% | ||
| No party affiliation | align = center | 24,052 | align = center | 25.48% | ||
| Minor parties | align = center | 1,538 | align = center | 1.63% | ||
| Total | align = center | 94,393 | align = center | 100.00% | ||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 66.76% 39,183 | 32.67% 19,177 | 0.57% 336 | |
| 2018 | 58.60% 30,951 | 40.11% 21,183 | 1.29% 682 | |
| 2014 | 52.82% 19,996 | 42.25% 15,994 | 4.93% 1,868 | |
| 2010 | 52.91% 17,711 | 43.11% 14,430 | 3.98% 1,335 | |
| 2006 | 51.81% 15,376 | 45.79% 13,589 | 2.40% 714 | |
| 2002 | 55.97% 14,407 | 43.25% 11,133 | 0.77% 199 | |
| 1998 | 54.01% 9,779 | 45.99% 8,326 | ||
| 1994 | 47.37% 7,160 | 52.63% 7,954 |
Flagler County Public Schools enroll approximately 13,000 students.[11] The system includes two public high schools, Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High School. The county also has five elementary schools and two middle schools. All elementary schools will be Pre-K to 5th grade and middle schools 6th and 8th. Flagler County schools are:
In addition, Daytona State College maintains a branch campus in Palm Coast.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando operates area Catholic schools. Father Lopez Catholic High School, a private high school, is in nearby Daytona Beach.[12]
Flagler County Library System consists of two branches with over 57,000 borrowers.[13] The Main Branch is located at 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, Palm Coast and the Bunnell Branch is located at 103 E Moody Blvd, Bunnell. The Flagler County Library system currently employees eighteen staff, with fourteen full-time employees and four part-time employees with an annual operating budget of $1 million.[14]
The Flagler County Public Library was created by the County Commission in 1987, but as early as 1937, a room of the County Courthouse in Bunnell was set aside for a small library, which was sponsored by the Colony Club. The current library director is Holly Albanese.
The Flagler County Library System offers a wide variety of services beyond traditional library services. They have an e-book collection through Overdrive and Axis360. The library system will assist patrons in filing taxes, and applying for some government programs, as well as with passport applications. Both libraries offer fax services, and the Main Branch also offers scanning services.[15]
In 2001, the Flagler County Library System began a local oral history project called the "Flagler County Memories Project". This project is currently being recorded and then preserved on compact discs. The project mission states, "This collection of oral life histories seeks to sample the common themes and unique stories of selected local residents."[16]