Seminole County, Florida
Seminole County | |
---|---|
County | |
Coordinates: 28°43′N 81°14′W / 28.71°N 81.23°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Florida |
Founded | April 25, 1913 |
Named for | Seminole people |
Seat | Sanford |
Largest city | Sanford |
Area | |
• Total | 345 sq mi (890 km2) |
• Land | 309 sq mi (800 km2) |
• Water | 36 sq mi (90 km2) 10.4% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 470,856 |
• Density | 1,524/sq mi (588.6/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional district | 7th |
Website | www |
Seminole County (/ˈsɛmɪnoʊl/, SEM-i-nohl) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 470,856, making it the 13th-most populated county in Florida.[1][2] Its county seat and largest city is Sanford.[3] Seminole County is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
[edit]On July 21, 1821, two counties formed Florida: Escambia to the west and St. Johns to the east. In 1824, the area to the south of St. Johns County was designated Mosquito County, with its seat at Enterprise. The county's name was changed to Orange County in 1845 when Florida became a state, and over the next 70 years several other counties were created. Seminole County was one of the last to split.
Seminole County was created on April 25, 1913, out of the northern portion of Orange County by the Florida Legislature. It was named for the Seminole people who historically lived throughout the area. The name "Seminole" is thought to be derived from the Spanish word cimarron, meaning "wild" or "runaway".
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 345 square miles (890 km2), of which 309 square miles (800 km2) is land and 36 square miles (93 km2) (10.4%) is water.[4] It is Florida's fourth-smallest county by land area and third-smallest by total area.
Seminole County's location between Volusia County and Orange County has made it one of Florida's fastest-growing counties. The Greater Orlando Metropolitan District which includes Seminole, Osceola, and the surrounding counties of Lake and Orange counties, together with neighboring Volusia and Brevard counties create a viable, progressive, and diverse setting for economic growth and residential development.
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Brevard County, Florida - east
- Volusia County, Florida - north and east
- Orange County, Florida - south and west
- Lake County, Florida - west
Demographics
[edit]Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1920 | 10,986 | — | |
1930 | 18,735 | 70.5% | |
1940 | 22,304 | 19.0% | |
1950 | 26,883 | 20.5% | |
1960 | 54,947 | 104.4% | |
1970 | 83,692 | 52.3% | |
1980 | 179,752 | 114.8% | |
1990 | 287,529 | 60.0% | |
2000 | 365,196 | 27.0% | |
2010 | 422,718 | 15.8% | |
2020 | 470,856 | 11.4% | |
2023 (est.) | 484,271 | [5] | 2.8% |
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2019[1] 2022[10] |
Race | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White (NH) | 280,452 | 264,072 | 66.34% | 56.08% |
Black or African American (NH) | 44,196 | 50,276 | 10.46% | 10.68% |
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 995 | 765 | 0.24% | 0.16% |
Asian (NH) | 15,451 | 25,164 | 3.66% | 5.34% |
Pacific Islander (NH) | 194 | 243 | 0.05% | 0.05% |
Some Other Race (NH) | 1,202 | 2,975 | 0.28% | 0.63% |
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 7,771 | 20,822 | 1.84% | 4.42% |
Hispanic or Latino | 72,457 | 106,539 | 17.14% | 22.63% |
Total | 422,718 | 470,856 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 470,856 people, 178,094 households, and 120,049 families residing in the county.
As of the census of 2000, there were 365,196 people, 139,572 households, and 97,281 families residing in the county. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of the county has grown to 394,878 by 2003. Current 2012 estimates put the population at more than 430,838. The population density was 1,185 inhabitants per square mile (458/km2). There were 147,079 housing units at an average density of 477 per square mile (184/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.4% White, 9.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.5% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 11.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 139,572 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.07. The Department of Education states that in 2003, school enrollment was approximately 72,630. As of 2006, the Seminole County School District was the 52nd largest in the nation.[15] As of 2020, the Seminole County School District was the 12th largest school district in Florida and 60th nationally with more than 67,000 students and 10,000 employees.[16]
Population was distributed with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,326, and the median income for a family was $56,895. Males had a median income of $40,001 versus $28,217 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,591. About 5.1% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. As of March 2009, according to Workforce Central Florida, the unemployment rate for Seminole County is 9.2 percent.
Religion
[edit]The following reflects the latest year available for religious statistics, which was 2000.[17]
Religion | Number |
---|---|
Did not claim a religious affiliation | 230,901 |
Catholic | 60,191 |
Evangelical Protestant | 48,430 |
Mainline Protestant | 19,713 |
Other | 5,487 |
Orthodox | 474 |
Government and politics
[edit]Seminole County is part of the strongly Republican belt of central and southwest Florida that was the first portion of the state to politically distance itself from the "Solid South"; until Joe Biden carried the county in 2020, the last Democratic Party candidate to win the county in a presidential election had been Harry Truman in 1948, and the last Democrat to win a majority of votes in the county being Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.[18] As of November 30, 2022[update], Republicans slightly outnumbered Democrats, 117,134 to 114,654, in registered voters.[19]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 125,241 | 47.89% | 132,528 | 50.67% | 3,764 | 1.44% |
2016 | 109,443 | 48.10% | 105,914 | 46.55% | 12,169 | 5.35% |
2012 | 109,943 | 52.57% | 96,445 | 46.12% | 2,732 | 1.31% |
2008 | 105,070 | 50.90% | 99,335 | 48.12% | 2,021 | 0.98% |
2004 | 108,172 | 58.10% | 76,971 | 41.34% | 1,052 | 0.56% |
2000 | 75,790 | 55.00% | 59,227 | 42.98% | 2,788 | 2.02% |
1996 | 59,797 | 52.04% | 45,058 | 39.21% | 10,049 | 8.75% |
1992 | 57,101 | 48.57% | 35,660 | 30.33% | 24,799 | 21.09% |
1988 | 60,401 | 72.20% | 22,635 | 27.06% | 622 | 0.74% |
1984 | 56,244 | 75.91% | 17,795 | 24.02% | 53 | 0.07% |
1980 | 39,989 | 66.16% | 17,443 | 28.86% | 3,007 | 4.98% |
1976 | 26,655 | 56.94% | 19,609 | 41.89% | 549 | 1.17% |
1972 | 27,658 | 80.84% | 6,503 | 19.01% | 51 | 0.15% |
1968 | 10,821 | 44.69% | 6,120 | 25.27% | 7,275 | 30.04% |
1964 | 10,078 | 52.48% | 9,125 | 47.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 8,936 | 64.63% | 4,891 | 35.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 5,841 | 65.15% | 3,125 | 34.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 4,683 | 60.02% | 3,120 | 39.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 1,665 | 33.25% | 2,261 | 45.16% | 1,081 | 21.59% |
1944 | 1,352 | 31.50% | 2,940 | 68.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 1,369 | 30.29% | 3,150 | 69.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 897 | 25.80% | 2,580 | 74.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 948 | 30.68% | 2,142 | 69.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 1,788 | 58.89% | 1,187 | 39.10% | 61 | 2.01% |
1924 | 372 | 23.46% | 945 | 59.58% | 269 | 16.96% |
1920 | 767 | 32.28% | 1,485 | 62.50% | 124 | 5.22% |
1916 | 155 | 15.56% | 706 | 70.88% | 135 | 13.55% |
The government operates under a County Charter adopted in 1989 and amended in November 1994. Policymaking and the legislative authority are vested in the Board of County Commissioners, a five-member board elected to four-year terms in partisan, countywide elections and from single member districts. The board adopts the county budget, levies property taxes and other fees, and hires the county manager and county attorney. In addition to the board, five constitutional officers are elected to partisan, four-year terms in accordance with the constitution of the State of Florida.
The constitutional officers, clerk of the circuit and county courts, sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, and supervisor of elections, maintain separate accounting records and budgets. The board funds a portion or, in certain instances, all of the operating budgets of the county's constitutional officers.
The county provides a full range of services: the construction and maintenance of the county's infrastructure, public safety, recreation, health and human services, and development and protection of the physical and economic environment.
In addition to the county government described above, there are other political entities which are controlled by the county, but have their own appointed boards; the Seminole County Expressway Authority, the Seminole County Port Authority, the Fred R. Wilson Memorial Law Library and the US 17-92 Community Redevelopment Agency.
County elected officials
[edit]Republicans control all of Seminole County's partisan elected offices. In 2020, despite Joe Biden narrowly winning Seminole County in the presidential election, Republican candidates for county office won by wide margins over their Democratic opponents.[21]
Seminole County Officials | ||
---|---|---|
Position | Incumbent | Next election |
District 1 Commissioner | Bob Dallari | 2024 |
District 2 Commissioner | Jay Zembower | 2026 |
District 3 Commissioner | Lee Constantine | 2024 |
District 4 Commissioner | Amy Lockhart | 2026 |
District 5 Commissioner | Andria Herr | 2024 |
Clerk of Courts and Comptroller | Grant Maloy | 2024 |
Sheriff | Dennis Lemma | 2024 |
Property Appraiser | David Johnson | 2024 |
Tax Collector | J. R. Kroll | 2024 |
Supervisor of Elections | Chris Anderson | 2024 |
18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney | Phil Archer | 2024 |
18th Judicial Circuit Public Defender | Blaise Trettis | 2024 |
Secondary officials
[edit]Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District
[edit]The Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District serves as an administrative role to conserve the environment within the county.[22]
The following officers are elected as indicated:
Group | Name | Position | Election Year |
---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | Jennifer Webb | Vice Chair & Public Relations | 2024 |
Group 2 | Karen Hariot | Chairperson | 2026 |
Group 3 | Megan Betche | Secretary | 2024 |
Group 4 | Gabbie Milch | Treasurer | 2026 |
Group 5 | Vacant | TBD | 2024 |
Law enforcement
[edit]Seminole County Sheriff's Office | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | SCSO |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1913 |
Jurisdictional structure | |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Sanford, Florida |
Agency executive |
|
Facilities | |
Stations | 4 |
Website | |
www |
The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Seminole County. As of 2022[update] the current sheriff is Dennis M. Lemma, who took office in 2017.
The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is currently accredited by eight independent bodies:
- American Correctional Association (ACA)
- American Society of Crime Lab Directors Lab Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB)
- Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA)
- Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
- Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC)
- National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC)
- National Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP)
- Public Safety Communications Accreditation
Libraries
[edit]The library system was founded in 1978 by the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners. It contains 500,000 volumes and has a circulation of 2.5 million books annually.[23] There are five branches, located in the cities of Casselberry, Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo, and Longwood.[24]
An online catalog is available including access to e-books and audio books. Library cards are restricted to county residents, property owners, students (enrolled in a county public school), or employed by the county government.[25]
Education
[edit]Seminole County Public Schools operates public schools.
Transportation
[edit]Interstates and expressways
[edit]Surface roads
[edit]Airports
[edit]Public transportation
[edit]Communities
[edit]Cities
[edit]Census-designated places
[edit]- Black Hammock
- Chuluota
- Fern Park
- Forest City
- Geneva
- Goldenrod (with Orange County)
- Heathrow
- Midway
- Wekiwa Springs
Unincorporated communities
[edit]Former communities
[edit]- Markham
- Osceola
- Goldsboro
See also
[edit]- Little Big Econ State Forest
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Seminole County, Florida
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Florida Counties by Population". Florida Demographics By Cubit. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 27, 2002. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2022". County Population Totals: 2020-2022. U.S. Census Bureau. March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ "National Center for Educations Statistics - 100 Largest School Districts in the United States". Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ "Seminole County Public Schools". Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | Maps & Reports". Thearda.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ "Voter Registration - by County and Party - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State".
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "Official Election Results" (PDF). Seminole County Supervisor of Elections. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- ^ "Seminole Soil & Water Conservation District | Preserving Precious Resources". Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ "Seminole County Public Library: About Us". Seminole County Government. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ^ "Seminole County Public Library: Branch Information". Seminole County Government. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ^ "Seminole County Public Library: Obtaining a Library Card". Seminole County Government. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ^ Turner, Christy; Tutten, James (October 20, 2022). "New ramp connects drivers on westbound I-4 to SR-429 in Seminole County". WFTV. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Seminole (County) at Curlie
- Seminole County Government / Board of County Commissioners
- Seminole County Government / Mosquito Control Program
- Photographs[permanent dead link] from the State Library & Archives of Florida.
- Seminole County Jail Information