Jefferson County, Florida

Jefferson County
County
Jefferson County Courthouse in Monticello
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°25′N83°54′W / 30.42°N 83.9°W / 30.42; -83.9
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	January 20, 1827
Named for	Thomas Jefferson
Seat	Monticello
Largest city	Monticello
Area
• Total	637 sq mi (1,650 km2)
• Land	598 sq mi (1,550 km2)
• Water	38 sq mi (100 km2)  6.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,510
• Density	23/sq mi (9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.jeffersoncountyfl.gov

Jefferson County is a county located in the Big Bend region in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,510. ^[1] Its county seat is Monticello. ^[2]

Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area but is the 3rd most rural county in Florida. ^[3] There are no traffic signals within the entire county. ^[4]

History

In the mid to late 18th century, a group of Native Americans from Chiaha chiefdom settled in what is now Jefferson County. This group would eventually become an element of the Mikasuki speaking Seminole. ^[5]

Jefferson County was created in 1827. It was named for Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, who had died the year before the county's establishment. ^[6]

Forts of Jefferson County

• Fort Roger Jones (1839), Aucilla (Ocilla Ferry), north of US 90. ^[7]
• Fort Noel (1839–1842), south of Lamont on the Aucilla River, six miles (9.7 km) northwest of Fort Pleasant in Taylor County. Also known as Fort Number Three (M).
• Camp Carter (1838), near Waukeenah.
• Fort Welaunee (1838), a settlers' fort on the Welaunee Plantation near Wacissa. Fort Gamble (1839–1843) was later established here.
• Fort Aucilla (1843), two miles (3.2 km) south-east of Fort Gamble, southwest of Lamont, between the Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. Also spelled Ocilla.
• Fort Wacissa (1838), a settlers' fort located south of Wacissa on the Wacissa River, west of Cabbage Grove.

American Civil War and Emancipation

In the two decades leading up to the American Civil War, cotton was the primary source of income in the county, with about seventeen percent of all Florida cotton being grown in Jefferson County. It was also the county with the second most large plantations (fifty-five plantations with thirty or more slaves) in Florida, behind only Leon County. In 1860, the county had a population of 9,876 with sixty-four percent being black. Following emancipation, the black population of Jefferson County continued to grow. By 1870 the population had risen to 13,968 with seventy-two percent black. To serve the relatively large black population in the county, the Freedmen's Bureau established an office in Monticello sometime around early 1866. ^[8]

Geography

Entering Jefferson County on US 19 from Thomas County, Georgia

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,650 km²), of which 598 square miles (1,550 km²) is land and 38 square miles (98 km²) (6.0%) is water. ^[9]

Jefferson County is the only county in Florida which borders both the state of Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico.

Adjacent counties

• Thomas County, Georgia - north
• Brooks County, Georgia - northeast
• Madison County - east
• Taylor County - southeast
• Wakulla County - southwest
• Leon County - west

National protected area

• St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Water Bodies

• Aucilla River
• Lake Miccosukee
• Wacissa River
• Gulf of Mexico

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	3,312		—
1840	5,713		72.5%
1850	7,718		35.1%
1860	9,876		28.0%
1870	13,398		35.7%
1880	16,065		19.9%
1890	15,757		−1.9%
1900	16,195		2.8%
1910	17,210		6.3%
1920	14,502		−15.7%
1930	13,408		−7.5%
1940	12,032		−10.3%
1950	10,413		−13.5%
1960	9,543		−8.4%
1970	8,778		−8.0%
1980	10,703		21.9%
1990	11,296		5.5%
2000	12,902		14.2%
2010	14,761		14.4%
2020	14,510		−1.7%
2023 (est.)	15,450	[10]	6.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1790-1960 [12] 1900-1990 [13] 1990-2000 [14] 2010-2019 [15]

Jefferson County, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010 [16]	Pop 2020 [17]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	8,668	8,720	58.72%	60.10%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5,293	4,600	35.86%	31.7%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	33	36	0.22%	0.25%
Asian alone (NH)	49	34	0.33%	0.23%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	4	3	0.03%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	9	54	0.06%	0.37%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	159	405	1.08%	2.79%
Hispanic or Latino (any Race)	546	658	3.70%	4.53%
Total	14,761	14,510	100.00%	100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,510 people, 5,770 households, and 3,761 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census ^[18] of 2010, there were 14,761 people, 5,646 households, and 3,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile (9.7 people/km²). There were 5,251 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.4% White, 36.2% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 3.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,646 households, out of which 26.9% had individuals under the age of 18 living with them, 47.30% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 32.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.00 males age 18 and over.

The following income information is from the 2000 census. The median income for a household in the county was $32,998, and the median income for a family was $40,407. Males had a median income of $26,271 versus $25,748 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,006. About 13.30% of families and 17.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Jefferson County, like most counties in the Florida Panhandle, historically voted for Democratic candidates. However, while most counties in the Panhandle started reliably voting for Republican candidates, Jefferson County has divided its support among Democratic and Republican candidates. From 2000 to 2012, while Democratic candidates for President won the county, the margin dwindled over time; in 2016, the county voted for Donald Trump, the first time that it had voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. In 2020, Trump expanded his margin of victory. Jefferson County consistently backed Democratic candidates in statewide races, but in 2018, Ron DeSantis became the first Republican gubernatorial nominee to win Jefferson County since 1884.

Jefferson County Officials
Position	Incumbent	Next election
District 1 Commissioner	Christopher Tuten	2024
District 2 Commissioner	Gene Hall	2026
District 3 Commissioner	J. T. Surles	2024
District 4 Commissioner	Austin Hosford	2026
District 5 Commissioner	Benjamin "Ben" White	2024
Clerk of Courts and Comptroller	Kirk Reams	2024
Sheriff	Mac McNeill	2024
Property Appraiser	Angela C. Gray	2024
Tax Collector	Lois Howell Hunter	2024
Supervisor of Elections	Michelle Milligan	2024

United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Florida ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	5,011	58.73%	3,429	40.19%	92	1.08%
2020	4,479	52.89%	3,897	46.02%	92	1.09%
2016	3,930	51.11%	3,541	46.05%	218	2.84%
2012	3,808	48.70%	3,945	50.45%	67	0.86%
2008	3,797	47.59%	4,088	51.24%	93	1.17%
2004	3,298	44.10%	4,135	55.30%	45	0.60%
2000	2,478	43.91%	3,041	53.89%	124	2.20%
1996	1,851	38.49%	2,544	52.90%	414	8.61%
1992	1,506	32.19%	2,271	48.55%	901	19.26%
1988	2,326	52.89%	2,055	46.73%	17	0.39%
1984	2,244	52.16%	2,057	47.81%	1	0.02%
1980	1,623	39.19%	2,367	57.16%	151	3.65%
1976	1,361	36.30%	2,310	61.62%	78	2.08%
1972	2,108	66.04%	1,049	32.86%	35	1.10%
1968	459	14.84%	1,066	34.48%	1,567	50.68%
1964	1,684	52.82%	1,504	47.18%	0	0.00%
1960	600	34.70%	1,129	65.30%	0	0.00%
1956	540	31.02%	1,201	68.98%	0	0.00%
1952	665	36.22%	1,171	63.78%	0	0.00%
1948	153	11.56%	700	52.91%	470	35.53%
1944	188	14.93%	1,071	85.07%	0	0.00%
1940	215	13.21%	1,412	86.79%	0	0.00%
1936	127	9.27%	1,243	90.73%	0	0.00%
1932	81	5.40%	1,418	94.60%	0	0.00%
1928	235	20.22%	919	79.09%	8	0.69%
1924	66	9.69%	566	83.11%	49	7.20%
1920	239	22.85%	754	72.08%	53	5.07%
1916	104	13.70%	646	85.11%	9	1.19%
1912	47	8.45%	459	82.55%	50	8.99%
1908	149	18.81%	565	71.34%	78	9.85%
1904	123	20.20%	471	77.34%	15	2.46%
1900	143	16.55%	711	82.29%	10	1.16%
1896	242	11.07%	1,909	87.29%	36	1.65%
1892	0	0.00%	1,533	100.00%	0	0.00%
1884	1,525	67.21%	744	32.79%	0	0.00%

Education

Former Jefferson County Middle / High School

Jefferson County Schools is the school district of the county. ^[20] It operates public schools, including Jefferson County Middle / High School. Private Aucilla Christian Academy enrolls about half as many students as the Jefferson County public schools.

Library

Jefferson County's library is the R.J. Bailar Public Library, a member of the Wilderness Coast Public Libraries Cooperative. It is located in the building that once housed the old Jefferson High School library. ^[21]

Transportation

Railroads

The sole existing railroad line is a CSX line once owned by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that was used by Amtrak's Sunset Limited until 2005, when the service was truncated to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. No Amtrak trains stopped anywhere in Jefferson County.

Major highways

See also: List of county roads in Jefferson County, Florida

• I-10 (Interstate 10) is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and serves as the unofficial dividing line between northern and southern Jefferson County. It contains three interchanges within the county; the first being SR 59 in Lloyd (Exit 217), the second at US 19 in Drifton (Exit 225), and the third south of Aucilla at CR 257 (Exit 233). Beyond this point I-10 runs through Madison County.
• US 19 is the westernmost north-south US highway in the county. It enters from southwestern Madison County as the Georgia-Florida Parkway in a concurrency with US 27, then breaks away from US 27 in Capps to run straight north through Monticello where it encounters a traffic circle with US 90 around the historic Monticello Courthouse. North of the city it runs through the State of Georgia.
• US 27 is another north-south US highway in the county. It enters from Madison County in a concurrency with US 19, but unlike US 19 breaks away at Capps and runs west toward Tallahassee.
• SR 59 is the westernmost north–south highway in Jefferson County and is the only roadway connection between U.S. 90 (at its intersection in Leon County) to the southernmost east–west route through Jefferson County, U.S. Route 98.
• US 90 was the main west-to-east highway in the county, until it was surpassed by I-10. It enters the county from Leon County twice, the second time from a causeway over the southern end of Lake Miccosukee, and eventually enters Monticello in a traffic circle with US 19. East of the city, it curves southeast through rural Jefferson County, then passes north of Aucilla before crossing the Madison County Line at a bridge over the Aucilla River.
• US 98 is the southernmost east–west route running through the Conservation Areas of the Gulf of Mexico from Wakulla to Taylor Counties. The sole major intersection is with SR 59.
• US 221 is the easternmost US highway in the county, running south and north through the northeastern portion of Jefferson County, including Ashville before crossing the Georgia State Line.
• CR 259 is a west-east two-lane road known as the Waukeenah Highway in the county that runs from the Leon County line through Wacissa and terminates at US 19 south of the Monticello city limits.

Communities

Old Lloyd Railroad Depot, now the area's post office

City

• Monticello

Census-designated places

• Aucilla
• Lamont
• Lloyd
• Wacissa
• Waukeenah

Other unincorporated communities

• Alma
• Ashville
• Capps
• Casa Blanco
• Cody
• Dills
• Drifton
• Fanlew
• Festus
• Fincher
• Jarrott
• Limestone
• Lois
• Montivilla
• Nash
• Thomas City

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Florida

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Jefferson County, Florida". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 25, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Most rural counties in Florida". Stacker. Stacker Media. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
4. "Visit historic Jefferson County". Visit historic Jefferson County. Jefferson County Tourism Development Council. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
5. Mahon, John K. (2017). History of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842 (ePub ed.). Gainesville, FL: LibraryPress@UF. p. 5. ISBN   978-1-947372-26-9.
6. Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 32.
7. "IRC Library:Fort Roger Jones". Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
8. Stone, Alva T. (Summer 2017). "Diary of a Freedmen's Bureau Agent: Alfred B. Grunwell in Jefferson County, Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 96 (1): 1–5. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
13. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
15. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 14, 2014.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
16. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Jefferson County, Florida". United States Census Bureau .
17. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Jefferson County, Florida". United States Census Bureau .
18. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
20. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jefferson County, FL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list
21. "Jefferson County RJ Bailar Public Library". jcpl.wildernesscoast.org. JEFFERSON COUNTY R.J. BAILAR PUBLIC LIBRARY. Retrieved February 22, 2024.

External links

• Jefferson County Home Page

30°25′N83°54′W / 30.42°N 83.90°W / 30.42; -83.90