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Santa Rosa County, Florida

Coordinates:30°42′N87°01′W/ 30.70°N 87.02°W/30.70; -87.02
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Santa Rosa County
County
Santa Rosa County Courthouse with Christmas decorations
Santa Rosa County Courthouse withChristmasdecorations
Official seal of Santa Rosa County
Seal
Map of Florida highlighting Santa Rosa County
Location within the U.S. state ofFlorida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within theU.S.
Coordinates:30°42′N87°01′W/ 30.7°N 87.02°W/30.7; -87.02
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
FoundedFebruary 18, 1842
Named forSaintRose of Viterbo
SeatMilton
Largest communityNavarre
Area
• Total1,174 sq mi (3,040 km2)
• Land1,012 sq mi (2,620 km2)
• Water162 sq mi (420 km2) 13.8%
Population
(2020)
• Total188,000
• Estimate
(2023)
203,162Increase
• Density160/sq mi (62/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6(Central)
• Summer (DST)UTC−5(CDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.santarosa.fl.gov

Santa Rosa Countyis acountylocated in the northwestern portion of theU.S. stateofFlorida.As of 2020, the population was 188,000. Thecounty seatisMilton,which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities within Santa Rosa County areNavarre,Pace,andGulf Breeze.[1]Navarre is the most populated community with a population of approximately 45,000 residents. Santa Rosa County is included in thePensacola—Ferry Pass—Brent, FloridaMetropolitan Statistical Area,which also includesEscambia County.

History[edit]

The first European in Santa Rosa County Florida may have been Diego Maldonado, a member ofTristan de Luna'sfailed expedition. Natives dominated the area until the late 1700s. A possible Spanish called Soledad may have been located inFloridatown.[2]

Santa Rosa County was created in 1842, when it was divided fromEscambia County.It was named after the barrier island along its southern coast, which in turn had been named for the Roman Catholic saint,Rosa de Viterbo.[3]

Santa Rosa County repealed its prohibition on alcohol in 2005.[4]

Santa Rosa County has seen unprecedented growth in population, specifically in the communities ofNavarre,Pace,andGulf Breeze.The county is a quickly growing tourist destination because of its access to beaches and protected wilderness areas for kayaking, hiking, and camping.[5]

Geography[edit]

According to theU.S. Census Bureau,the county has a total area of 1,174 square miles (3,040 km2), of which 1,012 square miles (2,620 km2) is land and 162 square miles (420 km2) (13.8%) is water.[6]

National protected area[edit]

Regions[edit]

Santa Rosa County can be divided into three distinct sections: South Santa Rosa, Central Santa Rosa, and North Santa Rosa. The sections are centered on the main east–west roads that pass through the county.

Navarre Beach

South Santa Rosa County comprises the area from Holley andNavarrein the east toGulf Breezeat the western end of theFairpoint Peninsula,and alongU.S. Highway 98.A section ofSanta Rosa Island,containing the unincorporated community ofNavarre Beach,is also part of South Santa Rosa County. Major bodies of water includingSanta Rosa Sound,Pensacola BayandEast Baystrongly influence the housing and life style of citizens in the southern part of the county. This fast-growing region serves primarily as "bedroom communities" forPensacolato the west andHurlburt Field,Fort Walton Beach,andEglin Air Force Baseto the east.

Central Santa Rosa County is the area north of the bays and south of the extensive forests separating it from North Santa Rosa. The central section developed along the so-calledOld Spanish Trailthat ran fromSt. AugustinetoNew Orleans,and further points west. Today,U.S. Highway 90closely parallels the old trail, and is the main highway that connects the region. Despite recent growth, the Central Region is best identified by its rural roots, and can be best characterized by traditionalSouthernculture. ThePaceandMiltoncommunities compose the Central Region, with both having populations roughly around 30,000.[7][8]The county seat,Miltonis located where the trail crossed theBlackwater River.To the west of Milton bordering the Escambia River,Pacehas experienced exponential growth both residential and commercial.Interstate 10also passes through this section of the county. TheU.S. Navypresence is marked byWhiting FieldandNOLF Spencer Field.

Northern Santa Rosa County is forest and farming country. The only town in the north isJay.Most development has been alongState Road 4which runs through the northern sections ofEscambia,Santa Rosa, andOkaloosacounties. A large oil and natural gas field around Jay produced a great deal of oil, and made many farmers millionaires in the 1970s and 1980s, but the field has been depleted and is producing little oil today. The citizens have, for the most part, returned to farming and forestry for their livelihoods.

State Road 87traverses the county from north to south, between U.S. Highway 98 and the border withEscambia County, AlabamanearBrewton,where it connects withState Route 41.This road is a primaryemergency evacuationroute for the county duringhurricanes.

Adjacent counties[edit]

Government[edit]

Board of County Commissioners[edit]

The Board of County Commissioners serves as the legislative and policy setting body of Santa Rosa County as established under Section 125 of the Florida Statutes. As such, the board enacts all legislation and authorizes programs and expenditures within the county. The board appoints a professionally trained county administrator who is responsible for policy and budget development and implementation.

The board comprises five members, elected countywide. Members must reside within the particular districts for which they seek election. Each year the board organizes itself, selecting a chair and vice-chair from among its members to preside at commission meetings.

Current Santa Rosa County commissioners
District Commissioner
1 (Pace/Central to western region) Sam Parker
2 (Milton/central to northeastern region) Kerry Smith
3 (Jay/central to northwestern region) James Calkins
4 (Navarre/southeastern region) Ray Eddington
5 (Gulf Breeze/southwestern region) Colton Wright

The commission meets in regular session beginning at 9:00 a.m. the second and fourth Thursday of the month in the Commissioner's Board Room in the Administrative Center, 6495 Caroline Street, inMilton.Called meetings and workshops are scheduled periodically and are advertised and open to the public.

County officials[edit]

Office Officeholder
Supervisor of ElectionsArchivedDecember 11, 2004, at theWayback Machine Tappie A Villane
Property Appraiser Greg Brown II
Sheriff Bob Johnson
Tax Collector Stan Colie Nichols
Clerk of Courts Donald C Spencer

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18502,883—
18605,48090.1%
18703,312−39.6%
18806,645100.6%
18907,96119.8%
190010,29329.3%
191014,89744.7%
192013,670−8.2%
193014,0833.0%
194016,08514.2%
195018,55415.3%
196029,54759.2%
197037,74127.7%
198055,98848.3%
199081,60845.8%
2000117,74344.3%
2010151,37228.6%
2020188,00024.2%
2023 (est.)203,162[9]8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11]1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13]2010-2019[14]
Santa Rosa County racial composition as of 2020
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a]
Race Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 2010 % 2020
White(NH) 128,726 147,518 85.04% 78.47%
Black or African American(NH) 7,940 10,690 5.25% 5.69%
Native AmericanorAlaska Native(NH) 1,194 1,112 0.79% 0.59%
Asian(NH) 2,690 3,818 1.78% 2.03%
Pacific Islander(NH) 200 362 0.13% 0.19%
Some Other Race (NH) 218 847 0.14% 0.45%
Mixed/Multi-Racial(NH) 3,897 2.57% 6.26%
Hispanic or Latino 6,507 11,890 4.3% 6.32%
Total 151,372 188,000 100.00% 100.00%

As of the2020 United States census,there were 188,000 people, 65,697 households, and 47,876 families residing in the county.

As of thecensus[19]of 2000, there were 117,743 people, 43,793 households, and 33,326 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 inhabitants per square mile (45/km2). There were 49,119 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile (19/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.72%White,4.25%BlackorAfrican American,1.01%Native American,1.30%Asian,0.08%Pacific Islander,0.67% fromother races,and 1.98% from two or more races. 2.52% of the population wereHispanicorLatinoof any race.

There were 43,793 households, out of which 36.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% weremarried couplesliving together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.90% were non-families. 19.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,881, and the median income for a family was $46,929. Males had a median income of $34,878 versus $22,304 for females. Theper capita incomefor the county was $20,089. About 7.90% of families and 9.80% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

Libraries[edit]

The Santa Rosa County Library System has five branches located in the following communities:Navarre,Gulf Breeze,Jay, Milton, and Pace.

Communities[edit]

The largest communities are Navarre and Pace.

Cities[edit]

Town[edit]

Census-designated places[edit]

Ghost Towns[edit]

  • Floridale

Politics[edit]

United States presidential election results for Santa Rosa County, Florida[20]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 77,385 72.19% 27,612 25.76% 2,201 2.05%
2016 65,339 73.68% 18,464 20.82% 4,881 5.50%
2012 58,186 75.51% 17,768 23.06% 1,106 1.44%
2008 55,972 73.28% 19,470 25.49% 935 1.22%
2004 52,059 77.35% 14,659 21.78% 589 0.88%
2000 36,339 72.10% 12,818 25.43% 1,245 2.47%
1996 26,301 62.02% 10,936 25.79% 5,173 12.20%
1992 17,339 52.90% 6,556 20.00% 8,882 27.10%
1988 18,973 77.85% 5,254 21.56% 143 0.59%
1984 21,265 82.04% 4,649 17.94% 6 0.02%
1980 13,802 63.93% 6,964 32.26% 824 3.82%
1976 9,122 52.39% 8,020 46.06% 270 1.55%
1972 12,669 88.94% 1,491 10.47% 85 0.60%
1968 2,567 20.19% 1,600 12.58% 8,549 67.23%
1964 5,983 62.63% 3,570 37.37% 0 0.00%
1960 2,777 35.89% 4,960 64.11% 0 0.00%
1956 1,909 31.54% 4,144 68.46% 0 0.00%
1952 1,744 28.50% 4,375 71.50% 0 0.00%
1948 549 15.58% 2,316 65.72% 659 18.70%
1944 862 24.85% 2,607 75.15% 0 0.00%
1940 656 18.40% 2,910 81.60% 0 0.00%
1936 744 20.23% 2,934 79.77% 0 0.00%
1932 315 10.09% 2,806 89.91% 0 0.00%
1928 1,628 73.97% 541 24.58% 32 1.45%
1924 229 23.34% 693 70.64% 59 6.01%
1920 333 28.88% 813 70.51% 7 0.61%
1916 111 10.23% 896 82.58% 78 7.19%
1912 70 7.84% 592 66.29% 231 25.87%
1908 212 26.40% 535 66.63% 56 6.97%
1904 73 13.30% 403 73.41% 73 13.30%
1900 38 6.47% 519 88.42% 30 5.11%
1896 431 36.68% 694 59.06% 50 4.26%
1892 0 0.00% 452 83.86% 87 16.14%

Transportation[edit]

Airports[edit]

Highways[edit]

Santa Rosa County contains many highways, which include Navarre Parkway and Gulf Breeze Parkway (US 98), Interstate 10, Avalon Boulevard, and Highways 4, 87, 89, and 90.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^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 can be of any race.[15][16]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
  2. ^Santa Rosa County Heritage Book Committee, ed. (2003).The heritage of Santa Rosa County, Florida.Clanton, AL: Heritage Pub. Consultants.ISBN978-1-891647-69-7.
  3. ^Publications of the Florida Historical Society.Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 34.
  4. ^"Suwannee Votes Wet".Suwannee Democrat. August 16, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 7,2014.
  5. ^"Blackwater River State Park".Florida State Park.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  6. ^"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990".United States Census Bureau.February 12, 2011.RetrievedApril 23,2011.
  7. ^"Zip Code 32570 Profile, Map and Demographics - Updated December 2019".Zipdatamaps.com.RetrievedDecember 31,2019.
  8. ^"Zip Code 32571 Profile, Map and Demographics - Updated December 2019".Zipdatamaps.com.RetrievedDecember 31,2019.
  9. ^"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedMarch 31,2024.
  10. ^"U.S. Decennial Census".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJune 16,2014.
  11. ^"Historical Census Browser".University of Virginia Library.RetrievedJune 16,2014.
  12. ^"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJune 16,2014.
  13. ^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"(PDF).United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJune 16,2014.
  14. ^"State & County".United States Census Bureau.
  15. ^https://www.census.gov/[not specific enough to verify]
  16. ^"About the Hispanic Population and its Origin".www.census.gov.RetrievedMay 18,2022.
  17. ^"Explore Census Data".data.census.gov.RetrievedMay 27,2022.
  18. ^"Explore Census Data".data.census.gov.RetrievedMay 27,2022.
  19. ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedMay 14,2011.
  20. ^Leip, David."Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".uselectionatlas.org.RetrievedJune 15,2018.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSanta Rosa County, Florida.

Newspapers[edit]

Print:

Digital only:

Government links/constitutional offices[edit]

Special districts[edit]

Judicial branch[edit]

Tourism links[edit]

Community and civic organizations[edit]

Hospitals[edit]

30°42′N87°01′W/ 30.70°N 87.02°W/30.70; -87.02

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