Gulf County, Florida

Gulf County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,192. Its county seat is Port St. Joe.

Gulf County is included in the Panama City, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Gulf County, created in 1925, was named for the Gulf of Mexico. Wewahitchka was its first county seat and the 1927 Gulf County Courthouse is still in existence. In 1965 the county seat was moved to Port Saint Joe, which under its original name Saint Joseph, had been the site of Florida's first Constitutional Convention in 1838.

In 2018, Category 5 Hurricane Michael made landfall just miles north of the county line in Mexico Beach, severely damaging large parts of the region and its timber and shellfish industries. The area has largely recovered in the years since.

Geography


According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 756 sqmi, of which 564 sqmi is land and 192 sqmi (25.4%) is water.

Cities

 * Port St. Joe
 * Wewahitchka

Unincorporated communities
Unincorporated areas include:
 * Cape San Blas
 * Dalkeith
 * Highland View
 * Honeyville
 * Howard Creek
 * Indian Pass
 * Oak Grove
 * Overstreet
 * St. Joe Beach
 * White City

Time zones
By way of the Intracoastal Waterway, Gulf County is one of a small number of counties in the United States to be in two time zones, Eastern and Central in this case.

Adjacent counties

 * Calhoun County, Florida — north
 * Liberty County, Florida — northeast
 * Franklin County, Florida — east
 * Bay County, Florida — west

National protected area

 * St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,192 people, 5,897 households, and 3,940 families residing in the county.

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,332 people, 4,931 households, and 3,535 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 PD/sqmi. There were 7,587 housing units at an average density of 14 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 79.89% White, 16.94% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,931 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,276, and the median income for a family was $36,289. Males had a median income of $27,539 versus $20,780 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,449. About 13.70% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Once heavily Democratic, Gulf County voted Republican at the Presidential level for the first time in 1964 and has transitioned to a Republican stronghold at the Presidential level. The county still supported conservative Democrats for local office until the 2000s. Republicans flipped most county offices in the 2010s and now consist of a strong majority of registered voters as of 2023.

The county is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners, elected in single-member districts. At the state level, Gulf County is represented by State Senator Corey Simon (R) and State Representative Jason Shoaf (R).

Gulf County is a part of Florida's 2nd Congressional District and is represented by Neal Dunn (R).

Education
Gulf County is served by Gulf County Schools.

Libraries
Gulf County is part of the Northwest Regional Library System (NWRLS), which serves Bay and Liberty Counties as well.
 * Bay County Public Library
 * Panama City Beach Public Library
 * Parker Public Library
 * Springfield Public Library
 * Gulf County Public Library
 * Charles Whitehead Public Library
 * Harrell Memorial Library of Liberty County
 * Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library

Airports

 * Costin Airport

Government links/Constitutional offices

 * Gulf County Board of County Commissioners
 * Gulf County Supervisor of Elections
 * Gulf County Property Appraiser
 * Gulf County Sheriff's Office
 * Gulf County Tax Collector

Special districts

 * Gulf County School District
 * Northwest Florida Water Management District

Judicial branch

 * Gulf County Clerk of Courts
 * Circuit and County Court for the 14th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties

Tourism links

 * Gulf County Tourism Development Council

Business links

 * Gulf County Chamber of Commerce