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 Suwannee 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] Each county has a county seat. In Florida, county seats typically have a courthouse at a town square. Of the current 67 counties and one historic county, 31 counties have changed their county seat at least once.
When counties were established some counties already had towns, which were soon named county seats. Several counties upon establishment lacked population centers and did not have a county seat for a year or more. Typically during those periods without a definite county seat, county courts and other local government business was held at the residences of community leaders or at churches.
A common cause for a county seat changing is the center of population changing after a new county is created. Railroads bypassing the current county seat is another common cause for a county changing its seat. A hurricane devastating the county seat has led to three counties to change their county seats. The hurricane that made landfall in September 1843 in the Big Bend area devastated Port Leon the county seat of Wakulla County, Florida and St. Joseph the county seat of Calhoun County, Florida. The destruction left in Everglades City by Hurricane Donna in 1960 led to Collier County changing its county seat in 1962. Gulf County is the county to change its seat most recently. In 1965, it changed its county seat from Wewahitchka to Port St. Joe.
Two county seats have lost their status as a county seat and later regained it:
Five county seats have later become the county seats of other counties:
| Alachua Created 1824 | Wanton's | 1824 | 29.5064°N -82.2819°W | |
| Newnansville | 1828 | Transferred to Columbia County in 1832. | 29.8086°N -82.4767°W | |
| Unknown | 1830s | |||
| Newnansville | 1839 | Changed by an act of the state legislature on February 10, 1839, back to Alachua County | 29.8086°N -82.4767°W | |
| Gainesville | 1853 | The Florida Railroad bypassed Newnansville and Gainesville was established along the route of the rail line. | 29.652°N -82.325°W | |
| Baker Created 1861 | Sanderson | 1861 | 30.2522°N -82.2728°W | |
| Macclenny | 1877 | Originally called Darbyville. County seat moved from Sanderson after a courthouse fire in 1877. | 30.2833°N -82.1167°W | |
| Bay Created 1913 | Panama City | 1913 | Established in 1888 as Park Resort on St. Andrews Bay (Florida). | 30.1744°N -85.6644°W |
| Bradford Created 1858 | Lake Butler | 1860 | 30.0217°N -82.3408°W | |
| Starke | 1887 | Changed by referendum on August 17, 1887. | 29.9472°N -82.1081°W | |
| Brevard Created 1844 | Susannah | 1844 | Community located outside Fort Pierce. | 27.4389°N -80.3356°W |
| Bassville | 1864 | |||
| Eau Gallie | 1874 | 28.1292°N -80.63°W | ||
| Lake View | 1875 | |||
| Titusville | 1879 | Changed by referendum in 1879. | 28.5911°N -80.82°W | |
| Broward Created 1915 | Fort Lauderdale | 1915 | Began to grow as a community once the Florida East Coast Railway reached the area in the 1890s. | 30.1744°N -80.1374°W |
| Calhoun Created 1838 | St. Joseph | 1838 | Established 1835 on St. Joseph Bay and soon became the most populous town in the territory of Florida Suffered a yellow fever outbreak in 1841. Remains of the abandoned town destroyed by the storm surge of a hurricane that stuck the Gulf Coast in September 1843. | |
| Abe Springs | 1850s | 30.3658°N -85.1475°W | ||
| Blountstown | 1880 | Established on the Apalachicola River as a river port prior to the American Civil War Changed by referendum on April 1, 1880. | 30.4431°N -85.0453°W | |
| Charlotte Created 1921 | Punta Gorda | 1921 | Began to grow as a community as the terminus of the Florida Southern Railway on Charlotte Harbor when the line reached the area in the 1886. | 26.9158°N -82.0478°W |
| Citrus Created 1887 | Mannfield | 1887 | ||
| Inverness | 1891 | Established as a sawmill town by the late 1860s. | 28.8392°N -82.3403°W | |
| Clay Created 1858 | Middleburg | 1858 | 30.0508°N -81.9019°W | |
| Whitesville | 1859 | Changed by referendum on October 3, 1859. Whitesvilles was renamed Webster. | ||
| Green Cove Springs | 1872 | 29.9928°N -81.6839°W | ||
| Collier Created 1923 | Everglades | 1923 | Began to grow as a community as the terminus of the Florida Southern Railway on Charlotte Harbor when the line reached the area in the 1886. Everglades suffered damage during Hurricane Donna in 1960. | 25.8589°N -81.3847°W |
| East Naples | 1962 | 26.1381°N -81.7667°W | ||
| Columbia Created 1832 | Newnansville | 1832 | Previously the county seat of Alachua County from 1828 to 1832. Transferred to Alachua County by the state legislature on February 10, 1839. | 29.8086°N -82.4767°W |
| Alligator | 1839 | Alligator was renamed Lake City in 1859. | 30.1833°N -82.6333°W | |
| DeSoto Created 1887 | Pine Level | 1887 | 27.2651°N -81.992°W | |
| Arcadia | 1889 | 27.2158°N -81.8583°W | ||
| Dixie Created 1921 | Cross City | 1921 | 29.6353°N -83.1247°W | |
| Duval Created 1822 | Jacksonville | 1822 | 30.3369°N -81.6614°W | |
| Escambia Created 1821 | Pensacola | 1821 | Capital of West Florida from 1763 to 1821. | 30.4216°N -87.2165°W |
| Fayette County Created 1832 Merged with Jackson 1834 | Ochesee | 1832 | ||
| Flagler Created 1917 | Bunnell | 1917 | 29.4675°N -81.2569°W | |
| Franklin Created 1832 | Apalachicola | 1832 | 29.7253°N -84.9925°W | |
| Gadsden Created 1823 | Quincy | 1823 | 30.5833°N -84.5833°W | |
| Gilchrist Created 1925 | Trenton | 1925 | 29.6134°N -82.8182°W | |
| Glades Created 1921 | Moore Haven | 1921 | 26.8334°N -81.0918°W | |
| Gulf Created 1925 | Wewahitchka | 1925 | 30.1142°N -85.1986°W | |
| Port St. Joe | 1965 | 29.8147°N -85.2972°W | ||
| Hamilton Created 1827 | Micco Town | 1827 | Previously a Seminole town. | |
| Jasper | 1835 | 30.5189°N -82.9511°W | ||
| Hardee Created 1921 | Wauchula | 1921 | 27.5461°N -81.8144°W | |
| Hendry Created 1923 | LaBelle | 1923 | 26.7606°N -81.4392°W | |
| Hernando Created 1843 | De Soto | 1843 | Previously a fort during the Seminole Wars. | |
| Bayport | 1860 | Bombed during the American Civil War by the United States Navy | 28.5483°N -82.6453°W | |
| Brooksville | 1863 | Established in 1856 Became county seat in response to the bombing of Bayport | 28.5536°N -82.3886°W | |
| Highlands Created 1921 | Sebring | 1921 | 27.4956°N -81.441°W | |
| Hillsborough Created 1834 | Tampa | 1834 | 27.9681°N -82.4764°W | |
| Holmes Created 1848 | Cerrogordo | 1848 | 30.8319°N -85.8875°W | |
| Pittman's Ferry | 18?? | |||
| Westville | 187? | 28.5536°N -82.3886°W | ||
| Bonifay | 1904 | 30.7833°N -85.6833°W | ||
| Indian River Created 1925 | Vero Beach | 1925 | 27.6386°N -80.3973°W | |
| Jackson Created 1822 | Webbville | 1822 | ||
| Marianna | 1828 | 30.7764°N -85.2381°W | ||
| Jefferson Created 1827 | Monticello | 1828 | 30.5451°N -83.8703°W | |
| Lafayette Created 1853 | New Troy | 1858 | ||
| Mayo | 1892 | County seat changed after the courthouse at New Troy was destroyed by fire. | 30.0519°N -83.1756°W | |
| Lake Created 1887 | Bloomfield | 1887 | ||
| Tavares | 1888 | 28.8017°N -81.7336°W | ||
| Lee Created 1887 | Fort Myers | 1887 | 26.6167°N -81.8333°W | |
| Leon Created 1824 | Tallahassee | 1824 | Capital of Florida from its founding, replacing former capitals St. Augustine (East Florida) and Pensacola (West Florida). | 30.4381°N -84.2806°W |
| Levy Created 1845 | Sodom | 1852 | Renamed Mount Pleasant in 1854. Renamed Levyville in 1856. | |
| Bronson | 1869 | 29.4489°N -82.6364°W | ||
| Liberty Created 1855 | Riddleysville | 185? | ||
| Bristol | 18?? | 30.4269°N -84.9792°W | ||
| Madison Created 1827 | San Pedro | 1835 | ||
| Madison | 1836 | 30.4667°N -83.4167°W | ||
| Manatee Created 1855 | Manatee | 1855 | ||
| Pine Level | 1866 | 27.2652°N -81.9918°W | ||
| Bradenton | 1887 | 27.4833°N -82.5833°W | ||
| Marion Created 1844 | Ocala | 1846 | The community grew up around Fort King. | 29.1878°N -82.1306°W |
| Martin Created 1925 | Stuart | 1925 | 27.1922°N -80.2431°W | |
| Miami-Dade Created 1836 | Indian Key | 1836 | 24.8833°N -80.6833°W | |
| Miami | 1844 | 25.7753°N -80.2089°W | ||
| 1866 | ||||
| Miami | 1899 | 25.7753°N -80.2089°W | ||
| Monroe Created 1823 | Key West | 1823 | 24.5592°N -81.784°W | |
| Nassau Created 1824 | Fernandina Beach | 1824 | 30.6694°N -81.4617°W | |
| Okaloosa Created 1915 | Milligan | 1915 | Damaged when the Yellow River flooded in 1917. | |
| Crestview | 1917 | 30.7542°N -86.5728°W | ||
| Okeechobee Created 1917 | Okeechobee | 1917 | 27.2439°N -80.8214°W | |
| Orange Created 1824 | John Bunch's | 1824 | ||
| New Smyrna | 1835 | |||
| Enterprise | 1843 | Northern half of Mosquito County renamed Orange County in 1845. Southern half established as St. Lucie County in 1844. | 28.8692°N -81.2667°W | |
| Mellonville | 1846 | |||
| Orlando | 1856 | 28.5384°N -81.3791°W | ||
| Osceola Created 1887 | Kissimmee | 1887 | 28.3039°N -81.4128°W | |
| Palm Beach Created 1909 | West Palm Beach | 1909 | Established along the route of the Florida East Coast Railway in 1894. | 26.7097°N -80.0642°W |
| Pasco Beach Created 1887 | Dade City | 1887 | 28.3614°N -82.1933°W | |
| Pinellas Created 1912 | Clearwater | 1912 | Clearwater's status as county seat was legally contentious for a number of years after the establishment of Pinellas County. | 27.9736°N -82.7642°W |
| Polk Created 1861 | Jefferson | 1862 | ||
| Bartow | 1867 | 27.8925°N -81.8397°W | ||
| Putnam Created 1849 | Palatka | 1849 | 29.6478°N -81.6514°W | |
| St. Johns Created 1821 | St. Augustine | 1821 | Capital of Spanish Florida from 1565 to 1763. Capital of East Florida from 1763 to 1821. Capital of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1824. | 29.8947°N -81.3144°W |
| St. Lucie Created 1905 | Fort Pierce | 1905 | Former county seat of Brevard County from 1844 to 1864. | 27.4389°N -80.3356°W |
| Santa Rosa Created 1842 | Milton | 1842 | 30.6303°N -87.0464°W | |
| Sarasota Created 1921 | Sarasota | 1921 | 27.3372°N -82.5353°W | |
| Seminole Created 1913 | Sanford | 1913 | 28.7894°N -81.2756°W | |
| Sumter Created 1853 | Adamsville | 1853 | 28.7997°N -82.0206°W | |
| Leesburg | 185? | 28.8106°N -81.8833°W | ||
| Sumterville | 1881 | Changed by referendum on October 15, 1881. Courthouse destroyed by fire on January 30, 1909. | 28.7475°N -82.0639°W | |
| Bushnell | 1912 | Changed by referendum in 1912 after political fighting arose after the courthouse fire at Sumterville. | 28.6639°N -82.1142°W | |
| Suwannee Created 1858 | Houston | 1858 | 30.2569°N -82.9025°W | |
| Live Oak | 186? | Located at the junction of the Florida spur of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad and the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad. | 30.2944°N -82.9858°W | |
| Taylor Created 1856 | Perry | 1856 | 30.1144°N -83.5825°W | |
| Union Created 1921 | Lake Butler | 1921 | Formerly the county seat of Bradford County from 1860 until 1887. | 30.0226°N -82.3396°W |
| Volusia Created 1854 | Enterprise | 1856 | Formerly the county seat of Orange County from 1843 to 1846. | 28.8692°N -81.2667°W |
| Deland | 1888 | 29.0289°N -81.3006°W | ||
| Wakulla Created 1843 | Port Leon | 1843 | Declared county seat on March 11, 1843 Devastated by a hurricane on September 13, 1843. | 30.1311°N -84.195°W |
| Newport | 1843 | Residents of Port Leon moved to Newport following the devastation of the hurricane. | 30.1994°N -84.1807°W | |
| Crawfordville | 1865/6 | 30.1761°N -84.3753°W | ||
| Walton Created 1824 | Alaqua | 182? | ||
| Eucheanna | 184? | Courthouse destroyed by fire in 1885. | ||
| DeFuniak Springs | 1886 | Changed by referendum on February 16, 1886. | 30.7167°N -86.1167°W | |
| Washington Created 1825 | Vernon | 1825 | 30.6217°N -85.7117°W | |
| Chipley | 1927 | 30.7792°N -85.5392°W |