Jefferson County is a county located in the Big Bend region in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,761. Its county seat is Monticello.
Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area but is the 3rd most rural county in Florida. There are no traffic signals within the entire county.
History
Jefferson County was created in 1827. It was named for Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, who had died the year before the county's establishment.
Forts of Jefferson County
Fort Roger Jones (1839), Aucilla (Ocilla Ferry), north of US 90.
Fort Noel (1839–1842), south of Lamont on the Aucilla River, six miles (10 km) northwest of Fort Pleasant in Taylor County. Also known as Fort Number Three (M).
Camp Carter (1838), near Waukeenah.
Fort Welaunee (1838), a settlers' fort on the Welaunee Plantation near Wacissa. Fort Gamble (1839–1843) was later established here.
Fort Aucilla (1843), two miles (3 km) south-east of Fort Gamble, southwest of Lamont, between the Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. Also spelled Ocilla.
Fort Wacissa (1838), a settlers' fort located south of Wacissa on the Wacissa River, west of Cabbage Grove.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.0%) is water.
Jefferson County is the only county in Florida which borders both the state of Georgia and the Gulf of Mexico.
Adjacent counties
Thomas County, Georgia - north
Brooks County, Georgia - northeast
Madison County - east
Taylor County - southeast
Wakulla County - southwest
Leon County - west
National protected area
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Water Bodies
Aucilla River
Lake Miccosukee
Wacissa River
Gulf of Mexico
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,510 people, 5,770 households, and 3,761 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 14,761 people, 5,646 households, and 3,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile (8/km2). There were 5,251 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 60.4% White, 36.2% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 3.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,646 households, out of which 26.9% had individuals under the age of 18 living with them, 47.30% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 32.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.00 males age 18 and over.
The following income information is from the 2000 census. The median income for a household in the county was $32,998, and the median income for a family was $40,407. Males had a median income of $26,271 versus $25,748 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,006. About 13.30% of families and 17.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Jefferson County was one of only a handful of counties in the Florida Panhandle that usually favored the Democratic Party; in recent elections it is trending toward the Republicans. In 2008, Barack Obama won it by a smaller margin than John Kerry had in the 2004 presidential race, one of the few non-Ozark, non-Appalachian, or non-Arizona counties to do so.
In 2016 it flipped and Donald Trump won the county. In 2018, it voted for both the winning Republican candidates in the governor's race (Ron DeSantis) and the Senate race (Rick Scott).
Education
On April 23, 2009, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) took over financial oversight of the district to rescue it from a declared financial emergency due to budget deficits. In June 2011, the district exited financial emergency one year sooner than expected due to efforts from District faculty and staff; subsequently, it operated for two years with a fund balance well over the mandated 3%.
The state DOE again took financial control in 2017 due to missing money, low school grades and questionable staffing decisions. Control was delegated to Somerset Academy Inc. which operates a Charter school in Monticello. Jefferson County is the only Florida school district to ever be controlled by a charter school. The FDOE returned control to the local school board on February 9, 2022 but the district must submit a monthly budget report to the state for one year and maintain a minimum 5% unassigned fund balance.
Career Academies have been introduced on the campus of Jefferson County Middle High School offering students options in career areas connected to the local economy.
The Jefferson County Tigers won the state championship in football in 2011.
Library
Jefferson County's library is the R.J. Bailar Public Library, which works with the [http://www.wildernesscoast.org/ Wilderness Coast Public Libraries].
Transportation
Railroads
The sole existing railroad line is a CSX line once owned by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that was used by Amtrak's Sunset Limited until 2005, when the service was truncated to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. No Amtrak trains stopped anywhere in Jefferson County.
Major highways
20px Interstate 10 is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and serves as the unofficial dividing line between northern and southern Jefferson County. It contains three interchanges within the county; the first being SR 59 in Lloyd (Exit 217), the second at US 19 in Drifton (Exit 225), and the third south of Aucilla at CR 257 (Exit 233). Beyond this point I-10 runs through Madison County.
20px US 19 is the westernmost north-south US highway in the county. It enters from southwestern Madison County as the Georgia-Florida Parkway in a concurrency with US 27, then breaks away from US 27 in Capps to run straight north through Monticello where it encounters a traffic circle with US 90 around the historic Monticello Courthouse. North of the city it runs through the State of Georgia.
20px US 27 is another north-south US highway in the county. It enters from Madison County in a concurrency with US 19, but unlike US 19 breaks away at Capps and runs west toward Tallahassee
20px SR 59 is the westernmost north–south highway in Jefferson County and is the only roadway connection between U.S. 90 (at its intersection in Leon County) to the southernmost east–west route through Jefferson County, U.S. Route 98.
20px US 90 was the main west-to-east highway in the county, until it was surpassed by I-10. It enters the county from Leon County twice, the second time from a causeway over the southern end of Lake Miccosukee, and eventually enters Monticello in a traffic circle with US 19. East of the city, it curves southeast through rural Jefferson County, then passes north of Aucilla before crossing the Madison County Line at a bridge over the Aucilla River.
20px US 98 is the southernmost east–west route running through the Conservation Areas of the Gulf of Mexico from Wakulla to Taylor Counties. The sole major intersection is with SR 59.
23px US 221 is the easternmost US highway in the county, running south and north through the northeastern portion of Jefferson County, including Ashville before crossing the Georgia State Line.
Communities
thumb|right|Old Lloyd Railroad Depot, now the area's post office
Town
Monticello
Census-designated places
Aucilla
Lamont
Lloyd
Wacissa
Waukeenah
Other unincorporated communities
Alma
Ashville
Capps
Casa Blanco
Cody
Dills
Drifton
Fanlew
Festus
Fincher
Jarrott
Limestone
Lois
Montivilla
Nash
Thomas City
