Liberty County, Florida

County in Florida, United States

County in Florida

Liberty County

County

Liberty County Courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Florida

Florida's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 30°14′N 84°53′W﻿ / ﻿30.23°N 84.89°W﻿ / 30.23; -84.89
Country|  United States
State|  Florida
Founded| December 15, 1855
Named for| Liberty
Seat| Bristol
Largest town| Bristol
Area

• Total| 843 sq mi (2,180 km2)
• Land| 836 sq mi (2,170 km2)
• Water| 7.6 sq mi (20 km2)  0.9%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 7,974[1]
• Density| 10/sq mi (4/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 2nd
Website| libertyclerk.com

Liberty County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,974,[2] making it the least populous county in Florida.[3] Its county seat is Bristol. Liberty County is the only dry county in Florida. Lafayette County prohibits bars, but not retail sale of beer.

The Apalachicola National Forest occupies half the county.

## History[edit]

Liberty County was created in 1855[4] and is named after the American ideal of liberty.[5]

## Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 843 square miles (2,180 km2), of which 836 square miles (2,170 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (0.9%) is water.[6] The county is bordered on the west by the Apalachicola River.

### Adjacent counties[edit]

* Gadsden County \- northeast
* Wakulla County \- east
* Leon County \- east
* Franklin County \- south
* Gulf County \- southwest
* Calhoun County \- west
* Jackson County \- northwest

### National protected area[edit]

* Apalachicola National Forest (part)

## Demographics[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1860| 1,457| | —
1870| 1,050| | −27.9%
1880| 1,362| | 29.7%
1890| 1,452| | 6.6%
1900| 2,956| | 103.6%
1910| 4,700| | 59.0%
1920| 5,006| | 6.5%
1930| 4,067| | −18.8%
1940| 3,752| | −7.7%
1950| 3,182| | −15.2%
1960| 3,138| | −1.4%
1970| 3,379| | 7.7%
1980| 4,260| | 26.1%
1990| 5,569| | 30.7%
2000| 7,021| | 26.1%
2010| 8,365| | 19.1%
2020| 7,974| | −4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[2]
Liberty County racial composition as of 2020
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a] Race  | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|

White (NH)  | 6,159  | 5,729  | 73.63%  | 71.85%
Black or African American (NH)  | 1,472  | 1,353  | 17.6%  | 16.97%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)  | 77  | 52  | 0.92%  | 0.65%
Asian (NH)  | 16  | 18  | 0.19%  | 0.23%
Pacific Islander (NH)  | 0  | 1  | 0.0%  | 0.01%
Some Other Race (NH)  | 8  | 26  | 0.1%  | 0.33%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)  | 115  | 233  | 1.37%  | 2.92%
Hispanic or Latino | 518  | 562  | 6.19%  | 7.05%
Total | 8,365 | 7,974 | 100.00% | 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,974 people, 2,513 households, and 1,602 families residing in the county.

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 7,021 people, 2,222 households, and 1,553 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km2). There were 3,156 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.41% White, 18.43% Black or African American, 1.81% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 2.08% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 4.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. More than 10% of the population are Mormons.[16]

There were 2,222 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.80% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 37.70% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 144.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 159.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,840, and the median income for a family was $34,244. Males had a median income of $22,078 versus $22,661 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,225. About 16.80% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.30% of those under age 18 and 24.30% of those age 65 or over.

## Politics[edit]

Liberty County has shifted rapidly towards the Republican Party in the 21st century. As of April 26, 2023, Republicans maintain an advantage in voter registration, which is the case in all but four counties in the Panhandle.

United States presidential election results for Liberty County, Florida[17] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 2,846  | 79.83% | 694  | 19.47%  | 25  | 0.70%
2016 | 2,543  | 76.78% | 651  | 19.66%  | 118  | 3.56%
2012 | 2,301  | 69.96% | 942  | 28.64%  | 46  | 1.40%
2008 | 2,339  | 71.18% | 895  | 27.24%  | 52  | 1.58%
2004 | 1,927  | 63.79% | 1,070  | 35.42%  | 24  | 0.79%
2000 | 1,317  | 54.65% | 1,017  | 42.20%  | 76  | 3.15%
1996 | 913  | 42.19% | 868  | 40.11%  | 383  | 17.70%
1992 | 1,126  | 43.71% | 820  | 31.83%  | 630  | 24.46%
1988 | 1,421  | 65.27% | 709  | 32.57%  | 47  | 2.16%
1984 | 1,410  | 68.45% | 650  | 31.55%  | 0  | 0.00%
1980 | 899  | 43.81%  | 1,114  | 54.29% | 39  | 1.90%
1976 | 620  | 34.91%  | 1,137  | 64.02% | 19  | 1.07%
1972 | 1,199  | 84.38% | 222  | 15.62%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 154  | 8.96%  | 242  | 14.09%  | 1,322  | 76.95%
1964 | 910  | 70.71% | 377  | 29.29%  | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 243  | 21.99%  | 862  | 78.01% | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 238  | 21.48%  | 870  | 78.52% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 237  | 18.60%  | 1,037  | 81.40% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 30  | 3.53%  | 737  | 86.81% | 82  | 9.66%
1944 | 38  | 5.72%  | 626  | 94.28% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 119  | 11.16%  | 947  | 88.84% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 64  | 7.41%  | 800  | 92.59% | 0  | 0.00%
1932 | 31  | 4.35%  | 682  | 95.65% | 0  | 0.00%
1928 | 147  | 39.20%  | 226  | 60.27% | 2  | 0.53%
1924 | 18  | 8.04%  | 193  | 86.16% | 13  | 5.80%
1920 | 5  | 1.10%  | 416  | 91.63% | 33  | 7.27%
1916 | 57  | 14.65%  | 280  | 71.98% | 52  | 13.37%
1912 | 32  | 12.08%  | 206  | 77.74% | 27  | 10.19%
1908 | 69  | 25.27%  | 176  | 64.47% | 28  | 10.26%
1904 | 50  | 24.88%  | 143  | 71.14% | 8  | 3.98%
Political Party  | Number of registered voters (March 31, 2022)[18] | %

|
|

| Democratic | 2,162  | 49.33
| Republican | 1,768  | 40.34
| Independent  | 445  | 10.15
| Other | 8  | 0.18
Total  | 4,383  | 100.00

Liberty County is run by a board of five county commissioners, each elected at-large. The following is a list of the commissioners with the number representative of his/her district:[19]

1. Dewayne Branch
2. Hannah Causseaux
3. Jim Johnson
4. Doyle Brown
5. Scott Phillips

The remaining elected officials are the constitutional officers and the school board members.

* County Judge: Kenneth Hosford
* Clerk of the court: Catherine Brown
* Sheriff: Buddy Money
* Property Appraiser: Cindy Walker
* Tax Collector: Marie Goodman
* Supervisor of Elections: Grant Conyers
* Superintendent of Schools: Kyle Peddie[19]

## Library[edit]

Liberty County is part of the Northwest Regional Library System Archived November 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (NWRLS), which serves Gulf and Bay Counties as well.

## Communities[edit]

### Town[edit]

* Bristol

### Census-designated places[edit]

* Hosford
* Lake Mystic
* Sumatra

### Unincorporated communities[edit]

* Estiffanulga
* Orange
* Rock Bluff
* Telogia
* White Springs
* Wilma
* Woods

## Transportation[edit]

Much like Calhoun County, Liberty County has no Interstates or U.S. Highways, just state roads.

* FL State Road 20 is the main west-to-east route that runs east from the Apalachicola River at the Calhoun/Liberty County line to the Ochlockonee River at the Liberty/Leon County line, passing through Bristol and Hosford.
* FL State Road 65 is the main south-to-north route running from the Franklin/Liberty County line at Sumatra to the Liberty/Gadsden County line north of Hosford.
* FL State Road 12 is a southwest-to-southeast route running from Liberty County in the southwest to Havana in the northeast. It also contains a county extension into Levy County.
* FL State Road 267 briefly runs alongside state road 20 until it splits away shortly after crossing the Leon/Liberty county line and heads north towards Quincy.

## See also[edit]

* Dry counties
* Liberty County High School
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Liberty County, Florida

## 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.[11][12]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "QuickFacts: Liberty County, Florida". United States Census Bureau.
2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 32.
5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 186.
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
11. ^ https://www.census.gov/[not specific enough to verify]
12. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
13. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
14. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. ^ "Mormon Empire: Florida: Tookie Gentry". The Salt Lake Tribune. March 30, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
17. ^ "Dave Leip's Election Results Liberty County Florida". Retrieved December 10, 2016.
18. ^ "Voter Registration - By County and Party - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State". dos.myflorida.com. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
19. ^ a b "County Elected Officials". Liberty Elections. Retrieved August 22, 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Official website

### Government links/Constitutional offices[edit]

* Liberty County Board of County Commissioners
* Liberty County Supervisor of Elections
* Liberty County Property Appraiser
* Liberty County Election's Office
* Liberty County Tax Collector
* Liberty County Emergency Management

#### Special districts[edit]

* Liberty County School Board
* Liberty County High School
* Northwest Florida Water Management District

#### Judicial branch[edit]

* Liberty County Clerk of Courts
* Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties
* Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
* Circuit and County Court for the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida

### Tourism links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liberty County, Florida.

* Liberty County Chamber of Commerce

Places adjacent to Liberty County, Florida

| Jackson County
(Central Time Zone) |  | Gadsden County
(Eastern Time Zone)

|
|

|  |
Calhoun County
(Central Time Zone) |

Liberty County, Florida
(Eastern Time Zone)

| Wakulla County and Leon County
(Eastern Time Zone)
|  |
Gulf County
(Central Time Zone and
Eastern Time Zone) | Franklin County
(Eastern Time Zone) |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Liberty County, Florida, United States

County seat: Bristol

City|

* Bristol

CDPs|

* Hosford
* Lake Mystic
* Sumatra

Unincorporated
communities|

* Estiffanulga
* Telogia

* Florida portal
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Metro areas|

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Largest cities|

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Counties|

* Alachua
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* Washington

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Topics|

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Map of North Florida

Counties|

* Alachua
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* Clay
* Columbia
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* Escambia
* Flagler
* Franklin
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* Gilchrist
* Gulf
* Hamilton
* Holmes
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* Jefferson
* Lafayette
* Leon
* Levy
* Liberty
* Madison
* Marion
* Nassau
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* Putnam
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* Union
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* Walton
* Washington

Major cities|

* Jacksonville
* Tallahassee
* Gainesville

Cities and towns
50k–100k|

* Ocala
* Palm Coast
* Pensacola

Cities and towns
10k–40k|

* Atlantic Beach
* Callaway
* Crestview
* Destin
* Fernandina Beach
* Fort Walton Beach
* Jacksonville Beach
* Lake City
* Lynn Haven
* Niceville
* Palatka
* Panama City Beach
* St. Augustine
* Panama City

Metro areas|

* Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin
* Gainesville
* Jacksonville
* Ocala
* Palm Coast
* Panama City–Lynn Haven–Panama City Beach
* Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent
* Tallahassee

Regions|

* Big Bend
* Emerald Coast
* First Coast
* Florida panhandle
* Forgotten Coast
* Halifax area
* Nature Coast
* North Central Florida
* Northeast Florida

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Israel
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30°14′N 84°53′W﻿ / ﻿30.23°N 84.89°W﻿ / 30.23; -84.89
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