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Florida State...
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Florida Counties
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Florida Counties
In 1821, there were only two counties in Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the
east. From these two counties were formed 67 today. In 1968, the electors
of Florida granted local voters the power to adopt charters to govern their counties. Charters are formal
written documents that confer powers, duties, or privileges on the county.
To date, there are 19 charter counties in Florida. Collectively these
counties are home to more than 75 percent of Florida's residents.
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Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Brooksville
Year Organized: 1843
Square Miles: 478
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Court House: 20 N. Main Street, Rm. 463
County Government Center
Brooksville, FL 34601-2850
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
(Was Benton County, 1844-1850) Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Then encompassing a significantly larger area of west central Florida than it does today, Hernando County was
officially established on February 27, 1843, two years prior to Florida's admission into the Union. It was created from
portions of Alachua, Hillsborough and Orange Counties and included all of present day Citrus and Pasco Counties. Named
for Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, whose name has also been honored in De Soto County, Hernando County was briefly
renamed Benton County in 1844 for Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, a strong supporter of territorial expansion who
aided in the county's creation. However, Benton fell out of favor with the county's residents later in the decade due to
his decision to support the Missouri Compromise and overall reversal of his stance on slavery, and the county's name
reverted in 1850.
In December 1854, the legislature designated the small port town of Bayport the County Seat. Residents living in the
eastern section of the county instead desired a more central place for the county government, and by 1855, voters had
selected an inland site within five miles (8 km) of the center of the county at the town of Melendez. In 1856, the
citizens of the Hernando County chose to rename the town, their new County Seat, Brooksville in honor of South Carolina
Representative Preston Brooks, who in the same year beat fierce abolitionist Masschusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a
cane in the Senate chambers, winning the Congressman great renown in the South.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 589 square miles (1,526 kmē), of which, 478
square miles (1,239 kmē) of it is land and 111 square miles (287 kmē) of it (18.80%) is water. According to the
World Atlas USA, Hernando County is the geographic center of Florida.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Citrus County
- Northeast: Sumter County
- South: Pasco County
- West: Gulf of Mexico
Cities and Towns:
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- Brooksville
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Weeki Wachee |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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